Born of Darkness
by Aphotica
Summary: With Beast Boy gone and the crime rate of Jump City fluctuating, the Teen Titans must quickly ascertain a replacement. When Seth Obsidian arrives at their door to fill the hole left by Beast Boy, he is - for better or worse - invited onto the team... but what has followed him?
1. New Arrival

Author's Note: I plan to add to this one as time goes on, considering it's already complete in some for or another. I don't feel like a sequel is warranted, but I do feel like this could be a lot longer and more in-depth than its predecessor. Aside from that, enjoy this new version.

* * *

 **New Arrival**

In a world of broken families, poverty and crime, the average person cannot afford a single miscalculation. The consequences are severe, more dire than death itself. Yet, people move. Men grab their bags of clothes and a wad of money and head to the nearest city promising a new life. Women sneak away in the tendrils of an inky night and arrive at a new bus station, eyes wide and hopes high. It's the start of a new story; the beginning of a new chapter, even with the inherited risk it carries.

Jump City was a place for people like that to runaway and restart, no matter the cost. Refugees, fugitives, standard class civilians and lords of the underground would arrive with dreams of conquest and ghosts of worry. Sure, it was bigger than most places. There were more jobs and more places to live, more colleges and more facilities. Amenities came with a price, though. Regardless of how well the city was protected, it was always open to new threats. Newborn horrors still happened. Most of them would be fought off, pushed back to their origins or destroyed. But in the grand course of time, all odds and evens being favorable to chance, the possibility exists that something unprecedented could arrive. Something infinite and ancient. It is only then that the integrity, stability and effectiveness of good can be tested again the forces of true evil.

Not the petty stealing or the ephemeral leftovers of a passionate murder. Not the misgivings of a fraud or the fame of a forgery. Not a drug lord serving substance to his customers, not a whore pleasuring the buyers of the streets. No, this was small time. A true force of evil has no principle. A drug lord keeps his stock, exchanges his illegal goods and services for capital or currency but an entity of darkness, something not bound by space and time, will not obey any principal, even its own.

With every moment, that _something_ beyond good and evil approached.

* * *

It was pitch black outside, the only light provided by the man-made, sodium infused fixtures illuminating the streets. Underground, in the subways, all that could be heard were the rumbling of the passing trains and crumpled newspapers rolling around on the frigid concrete. Aboard a car in one of the trains, a single figure sat. Cast in darkness, the lone man, probably in his late teens or so, quietly sat in the darkness.

He studied it carefully. The newspaper had an advertisement listed, from what he could tell, very recently. Things had gone more than south where he'd come from, so, given he had CIA clearance, a position among the Teen Titans seemed inviting. From what he gathered, one of their members had left. Robin, their leader, had proposed work for someone qualified. The needed credentials were anything relating to law enforcement, government clearance or military experience.

CIA clearance sounded like it'd be good enough.

He stuffed the advertisement back in his trench coat pocket.

Buildings and dim, broken lights passed by the train as it moved forward. Torn paper and empty cups rolled along the train's floor, tapping against the walls. He sighed, returning back to his own devices. Wrapped in an obsidian black trench coat and a haze of shadows, he fumbled through a worn journal, shoving it back in his pocket. It was all that could be distinguished about him. The train slowly rumbled to a stop, hydraulics squealing with the eerie sound of metal kissing metal. The figure, silent and calculating, gathered up a single backpack with all of his belongings stuffed inside and stood. The door slid wide, welcoming to his new home: Jump City. After a few glances and a rolling cloud of steam, smoke gracing the subway station ahead, he paced out into the open.

The station was, for lack of a better word, a tomb. The only sound was that of light traffic drifting from up above. It came down in thin blankets, wrapping its hopeless melody around the few homeless people and passersby. The figure slowly began to stalk across the open area of the underground station until he reached the stairs, kicking a few empty cups and bits of broken bottle along the way. Slow footfalls, muffled by stale air, echoed quietly off the walls. The night seeped in, mixing with the basement odors of the city. He stood atop the stairwell and surveyed his surroundings. It was a placid evening, save for a few police sirens in the distance and some passing cars.

The figure began walking into the city.

* * *

"So, what are we going to do now?" Robin asked, pacing the kitchen.

"Hell if I know," Cyborg yawned and shrugged his shoulders, scratching somewhere on his cybernetic head.

Robin growled in reply, "I put out an ad in the paper, but I seriously doubt anyone around here is up to the job. I question if we are sometimes," he said.

Cyborg didn't respond. It had been three perplexing days since Beast Boy had left the Teen Titans. He had said it was of personal matters, important things he desperately needed to tend to and that they should temporarily replace him, nothing more. Regardless, everyone had been confused but didn't question him. To the best of the group's knowledge, nothing fantastic had happened. Drama was thin if there at all. For a while, they dug; accusing one or the other of instigating it, perhaps a hidden affair or someone with their hands in the cookie jar. Maybe even Beast Boy's. The arguments eventually faded to quiet murmurs.

The conclusion? Beast Boy really had something do to, but he'd be back… eventually. Well, possibly. _Maybe._

Now, they were looking for a replacement, someone to fill Beast Boy's shoes. Expectations weren't high to begin with. Morale was low and the promise of a new Titan was met with skepticism. Time passed, seconds turned to minutes and night turned to day and whatever the hell happens in between. Robin had been searching ever since he had left and come up with nothing. It was a vacuum of progress at best.

"Come on! There must be something or someone you can think of?" Robin questioned, slamming his hands on the tabletop. Again, Cyborg shrugged. He couldn't help but feel irritated, frankly pissed, with Robin badgering him, but he was too tired to do anything about it. Robin needed someone to talk to so he hadn't let Cyborg go when the girls had gone to bed, the threesomes becoming an addiction for the lot of them.

"Mad you're not getting any tonight?"

Cyborg flipped him off.

"Whatever," Robin sensed someone in the room and spun around.

Starfire stood in the doorway, looking very tired.

"Could you be kind enough to keep your voice down? Others are trying to sleep, you know," she said, rubbing her bloodshot eyes, clad in panties and a bra. For a moment, her figure and smooth skin distracted him.

"Well, I-"

"See something you like?" she asked, placing a hand on her hip.

"Uh, sorry. But with Beast Boy gone, we got a serious problem, one we need to talk about right now," Robin insisted.

Star shook her head and left. She vanished back into the darkness, the sound of a door closing met with Cyborg and Robin's silence.

Cyborg hunched forward, sighing. "You know, you could probably get laid by both of them if you quit being like this."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Cyborg shrugged.

"We have responsibility, Cyborg. Serious responsibility here."

Cyborg groaned inwardly; sleep wasn't coming, not tonight. Once Robin was on one of his personal quests, he didn't stop until it was finished.

Usually. From what Cyborg could tell, tonight was one of those 'usual' nights.

* * *

He stood in front of the massive tower set upon the coast of the ocean. The height was enough to make him question a very deep, long-forgotten fear of heights. Tilting his head, he looked at the contours and lack of curves, realizing the thing was shaped like a massive T. This was it – the ad in the paper, demonstrated in physical glory as a checkpoint in an arcade game. He slowly began walking up to the tower as he had been for the whole way there, every step calculated, collected and aware.

Alert.

He approached the main entrance, arriving in front solid doors and a panel with what appeared to be an intercom system. He stared for a moment, pressing the button.

Would they ignore him?

Maybe they'd scurry.

He didn't know.

The figure, wrapped in his heavy duster of a trench coat, could only imagine the reactions. Indifference? Excitement? Repulsion? Scenarios ran through his head in waves. Each left an imprint, a sort of reminder like all things had in his life. Life purpose was a ball of anxiety – even he expected this. Yet, anxiety would still attempt to possess him. Every moment was a battle with his inner self and no matter how exhausting, the young man kept his wits sharp with surgical precision.

He stood patiently and waited for a reply.

* * *

Robin was in the middle of a sentence when he heard the intercom buzz. His brows perked; maybe, just maybe, salvation had arrived. Cyborg stood, turning with a glare to the comm unit. "Who in the hell is calling this late?"

"Maybe it's someone about the job," Robin replied.

"Come on, man."

Robin waved a finger. "You know, I understand you're tired, but maybe you could try to lift the morale around here?"

"Everyone's got to grow up sometime," Cyborg muttered.

Robin returned the kind gesture of Cyborg's middle finger presented earlier, hurrying to the intercom. No quicker than a blink of an eye, he pressed for a reply.

"Yeah?"

There was a moment of silence that was eventually broken by a stoic voice.

" _I'm here about the job,"_ was the only reply.

"Really?"

"Really," the voice responded.

"Do you have clearing papers?" Robin asked.

"Yes."

"Um, okay...we'll meet you in a minute," Robin said.

A minute had passed. Most of them were awake by now. The calamity of a late night call brought mystery. In their line of work, you had to keep on edge, ready to leap into the canyon of battle at a moment's notice (even if the notice wasn't there at all). Passing through the metal and concrete tinged glow, the groggy Starfire and her more alert counterparts, Cyborg and Robin, began heading downstairs.

* * *

The lone figure waited outside the massive tower as rain began to fall, pouring over his stone expression. The small droplets of water ran off of his trench coat, tapping on the steel tipped boots he was sporting. Patience was a virtue, apparently. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the doors opened to reveal three people standing inside. He stood, recognizing each face and body from various sources he'd previously encountered ranging from news articles to fan conventions of local crime fighters.

"Come in," Robin, the leader, asked.

The nameless man didn't make a move for several seconds, only staring and studying the few famed individuals standing before him. After a moment of scrutiny, the figure paced inside with such calm it rivaled the eye of notorious storms. The doors shut firmly, echoing into the Tower's corridors. The figure, still drenched from rainfall, found himself in a long hall with a single door at the end and two sliding doors on the middle-right section of the hallway that was surely an elevator.

Robin spoke first. "You said you were here about the job, right?"

They began walking down the hall, the lone figure only nodding. They reached the doorway, his body language seemingly devoid of emotion. From there they entered a large recreation room with a massive TV, video games, a stereo system and a huge, curving couch. Seems like a nice gig, the nameless man thought, still glancing around with silent precision.

"Won't you have a seat?" Starfire asked.

"The sofa doesn't bite," Cyborg assured him.

The nameless individual shook his head and went to stand in the center of the room, as if waiting for something. Unease filled the room, the three Titans sitting on the curved couch, eyes fixated on the dark stranger. In the light he could be seen more clearly; a rough, worn face, a head of closely cropped black hair and icy, focused blue eyes. He removed his backpack, setting it on a table next to him with a precarious grip. His trench coat followed, revealing a toned figure. Underneath, he wore a dark black long-sleeved shirt, black baggy jeans complete with tears, and steel tipped combat boots made from leather darker than a stained volcano.

"Obviously I can't just let someone into the tower. Paperwork?"

The figure dredged through his pocket and handed off an envelope stamped by the CIA. "Pertinent information is here."

"That looks real!" Starfire exclaimed.

The figure nodded.

"It does, Starfire," Robin examined the seal, "the seal on it look a bit different, but this is a real CIA envelope, at least."

"Classified work," the figure said.

"Oh?"

The figure nodded.

"Top secret," Cyborg laughed, "let me see that."

Robin hand it to Cyborg. He all but snatched it from Robin's hands, running a scan of it with a laser from one of his built-in gadgets. "That's a real CIA radio tag in it, so it's legitimate."

"Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? We're not going to just hand out the job, no offense," Robin asked, breaking the silence.

"I think he's about to," Cyborg added.

"Shut up, Cyborg," Robin folded his hands together, removing his scowl from the man and machine hybrid. "So? Abilities?"

"Yes," the young man nodded, "I have enhanced physical abilities and believe that I am capable of fulfilling the duties of a Titan."

"What's your name?" Starfire asked.

"Seth Obsidian," he replied.

"Like the rock?" Cyborg asked.

Seth nodded.

Again, an uneasy silence. Was it his last name? It sounded like something pulled from a cartoon or worse, a serial novel. Unbelievable, sure, but the situation was fantastic enough.

"That's an... interesting name. Now, when you say 'enhanced physical abilities', what do you mean?" Robin asked.

"You'll know soon enough. I'm a little worn out from the night, but as a sample..." Seth replied in a level, monotonous voice, "I can show you something minor."

"That'd be useful but it better be better than minor, if you know what I mean," Cyborg pointed at him.

"We're not just going to let you stay here because you said that you can be a hero," Robin shrugged, almost laughing at the implications.

"Fair enough," Seth glanced around the room, "make a move."

Cyborg laughed heartily. "Oh wow, make a move?"

"Yes."

Robin grinned. "Alright. Hold on Cyborg, hold on. Any?"

Seth nodded. "Any."

"From one of us? Or," Starfire hovered above the ground, "a particular Titan in question, Seth Obsidian?"

"Any."

"I call it," Robin said.

"Are you sure?" Seth asked.

Robin laughed. "Yeah. When I say-"

In the blink of an eye, Robin lashed forward, throwing one of his impromptu swords. Following directly behind the flying blade was Robin, ready to strike a blow against Seth. Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. Robin abruptly stopped, Seth holding the sword between but two fingers. He set it on a nearby table, licking the tiny cut on his finger.

"It was sharpened well," wiped the blood on his pant leg.

Robin scoffed. "Alright, you can catch a sword, and a pretty fast one."

"He's the only one who's come in so far, Robin," Starfire sat into the sofa next to Cyborg, "and he's oh so fast."

Robin bit his lip and exhaled slowly. "What's in the bag?"

"Clothes and the like."

"Can you stick to a schedule? Can you be there when we need you? Training and first thing in the morning, and I need to see more," Robin stood directly in front of him.

"So long as I can sleep," Seth replied.

"Alright, Seth, you got the job. But for now, let's get some rest. We'll sort the rest out in the morning," Robin finished, "and try not touch anything except your room and your stuff. We have cameras here."

Robin headed back out into the hall, towards the elevator. Everyone else followed. As they reached the top of the T Tower where the dorms were located, Starfire, Cyborg and Robin paced out of the elevator, somewhat avoiding Seth.

"Starfire, will you show him to a room?" Robin asked.

"Of course," Starfire replied as Robin and Cyborg began heading to their own rooms, motioning for Seth to follow her. Invitations were bliss in his eyes, though he never expressed this. Regardless, he did so, holding his trench coat and backpack under one arm.

"So are you new in town, Seth?"

He almost laughed at her question.

Seth shrugged. "I'm new everywhere I go."

The hallway approached an end, their pace slowing. Starfire came to a stop, crossing her arms and nodding. The door, while polished and clean, implied a small, ignored room hidden within. Perfect, Seth thought.

"Well, here you go," Starfire said.

Seth shouldered his bag. "Seems good enough. Thanks."

"If you need anything, let us know," Starfire explained, "and do be courteous, as you are our guest."

"I thought it goes the other way around, given I'm your guest?"

She grinned. "Goodnight. Be ready in the morning."

"Sure."

Star only nodded, then turned and began heading towards her room, which wasn't too far from the way they'd come. Seth watched her go, amused at their uncomfortable nature around him. Granted, he would likely be uncomfortable if someone showed up at his house, homeless and claiming such wonders and abilities. Schizophrenia comes to mind. Psychosis and a bad habit of running through money (hence homelessness). He pressed a button on the wall, the door sliding open with little resistance. A quick probing of the dark adjacent wall revealed a switch which he promptly flipped. A synthetic, titanium white glow basked the room, each corner and nook exposed in the inanimate nude. _Not to_ _o_ _bad,_ he thought. There was a large bed in one corner accompanied by a night stand with a lamp and clock on it and what appeared to be a boom box, the kind you give your brat of a child to blast rebellious music.

It didn't look too dirty, aside from a cobweb or two.

In another corner, tucked away in the aftereffects of light scattering on the solid walls, a desk with paper, pens and a comfortable chair. In a third corner was a cherry-maple dresser and a full length mirror, just what Seth needed to examine himself should the time arise.

Everything else being equal, he couldn't help but wonder why everything else was metal, concrete and glass and his dresser was made of wood. Robin's comment about an unkempt room came to mind. The final corner, a modest one, contained a small closet and a bathroom with a shower stall, toilet, sink, counter and medicine cabinet.

Seth Obsidian tossed his things down onto the ground and strode across the room, the door sliding shut behind him. Automatic doors, he grinned beneath his expressionless face, were to be expected. Removing his shirt and pants was easy enough, followed by socks, leaving only the boxer-briefs and a worn, sculpted body. He crawled under the blankets of the bed and immediately fell into a deep sleep, ready to fend of the nightmares his mind would bring.


	2. Titan Tower

Author's Note: Should I keep the chapter titles in the chapter? Or just leave it in the drop down menu? I'm not sure which is more convenient for reading. Feedback on that would be appreciated. I want this new version to be more efficient.

* * *

 **Titan Tower**

Cyborg scanned over the monitor in front of him, briefly entering a few commands on the terminal. The night had been eventful, to say the least. A new addition always meant some digging, especially when they were off the streets with minimal paperwork. Seth had essential come across as a homeless man with a flashy piece of paper. The seal on it had been real, surely, along with some scant identification inside the envelope.

 _Official._

A lot of things can be faked, but this? Cyborg was sure it had some legitimacy.

After scouring some databases and making a few calls, Cyborg had verified what little information he had about the possible new Titan. Seth Obsidian had been, somehow, involved with the CIA, did have some sort of government clearance and was actually who he said he'd been, mostly. A lot of information was redacted as if someone had been obnoxiously scribbling with black permanent marker or whiteout. The digital documents had simple placeholders for missing information: REDACTED.

Cyborg leaned back in his seat and sighed, his communicator coming to life with Robin's voice. "Is he official?"

"He's really involved with the CIA and he, well, sort of has clearance to do what he says. I can't dig up much because it's redacted."

Robin let out an audible sigh. "So we're just going to have to trust him?"

"I mean, yeah, I guess. What else are we going to do? He's legit CIA or somehow connected with them and the important information checks out. I mean we shouldn't be in any danger. No criminal record, but a lot of backwater, spooky stuff. Missing information and redacted lines. He's real, at least."

"How real?" Robin's concern nearly materialized from the speaker.

Cyborg shrugged. "Real enough."

"Alright, I'll talk to the others. Thanks, Cyborg."

Cyborg saluted the communicator and flicked it off, returning to his computer monitor and the open envelope Seth had brought them. It was a risk, but at least it was calculated.

* * *

UV rays spilled into the room through the overly large windows that Seth had not bothered to cover up the previous night. He could slap himself for forgetting, a deep regret washing over the lethargy that soon followed. Seth had been awake for some time now, giving him a few moments to explore his room. For a Titan dorm, it wasn't too bad. That was his assessment the previous night, though a little more sleep could change his mind.

Seth made sure the night before, _damn sure_ , that there were no listening, tracking or spying devices. The world had gone rampant with intrusion. He'd been trained to ward the offenders off, but it still bothered him that they could listen to his secrets. Devices were easily disabled when found or hacked to support his needs. Luckily, there had been none aside from a standard communicator given to each Titan. He stretched, dressed only his his underwear, glancing around.

Yep, a room. Other than the obvious furniture, just a few simple pairs of dark, one size fits all clothing, and office supplies in the desk, Seth didn't see much. He assumed that the recreation room held most of the games and whatnot, though his suspicion was strong that the team had their own playthings. Seth had made good use of the small washer/dryer unit in the closet and now his clothes were mended and clean.

He paid extra attention to his trench coat. It was all he had left that wasn't some generic bit of clothing, the only real piece of fabric that reminded him of who he was, and what kept him warm during cold nights.

It also looked pretty cool.

A slew of possessions sat on the dark mahogany desk. He'd taken upon himself to clear the thing off earlier. Part of his training was keeping things neat and clean. Organization is tantamount. His eyes followed the display of utilities, starting with the left side. A ten inch, titanium, unbreakable combat knife, sharpened to the point of insanity. Two handguns, police issue 9mm, modified with a laser scope and a barrel designed for hyper rifling.

Six clips of specialized armor piercing projectiles, the most expensive kind you couldn't get because they stopped making them. A small journal that contained everything – a leather artifact with information that was relevant to specific parts to his life, rife with secrets and visions penned in black ink and more – sat at the edge of the desk. His personal gallery was complete.

 _No missing pieces here._

These were all of his personal belongings. Though modest, they were indispensable.

Seth turned his gaze over at the digital clock on the nightstand, its dull red numbers reading **8:04**. Transfixed on the time, he began to think. The others would surely be getting up soon. He had heard footfalls outside of his room, approaching and then receding, some time ago, around six. Perhaps that had been the other Titan, the other that he had not seen the night before. He hadn't known much about her other than she was probably the most reclusive of the group.

He pushed the chair back from the desk and rose to his feet in one lithe movement, starting a path for some food. Seth began walking towards the door and then paused. Trench coat or not trench coat? He decided against it, settling for just his combat knife and generic black clothes.

He put it in the sheath and then placed that on a loop in his belt. With his trusty blade, shiny and sleek, Seth began to head towards the door.

He pressed the button. The doors slid open to reveal the corridor beyond, devoid of life.

"Fantastic," Seth whispered, slowly moving towards the elevator.

He called the elevator, Seth stepping inside before the doors closed. He glanced around, amused by the shiny steel interior. Seth remembered tales of a janitor, an Italian cleaning mastermind. Apparently he'd bent space and time at will for the glory of sanitation. Maybe the janitor had been there to perform his wonders. Seth shook off the thoughts. Instead, his mind drifted to thoughts of the new life unfolding before him.

Memories came back as his mind wandered. He had managed to wipe out the previous threat in Grant City. The thing from the dark was no simple foe. Seth was certain there was something more to it, like a bad omen for things to come.

 _Just stay dead, stay where I left you._ Seth rubbed his temples. He wasn't sure he had a way to stop it from wreaking havoc again.

The elevator finished its descent, the doors opening to reveal a dead path to the mess hall.

Seth strolled down the hall and in through the open doorway that led to the kitchen. A single figure sat at the table, wrapped in a dark, purple hooded cloak. Near motionless, Seth realized he was staring at the other Teen Titan. She drank from a mug and had a small plate of eggs and a piece of bacon on it, half eaten.

They locked eyes for a second or so before she finally spoke.

"Who are you?" the figure asked, looking up from the table.

"Seth Obsidian," Seth replied to the pale face buried inside the hood, heading over to the kitchen.

She sipped on her coffee, gently nodding. "Arrived late last night?"

He nodded.

"You're quiet."

Seth nodded yet again.

"Well, get something to eat," she lifted her coffee cup in the direction of the refrigerator.

He gathered up a few pieces of leftover pizza, cold from the refrigerator, and a mug of steaming hot coffee, then went to sit across the table.

"I don't know anyone's names, yet. Just appearances." Seth sat down, sipping on his coffee.

"Not surprising," she set her cup down, "but it's Raven."

"When did you arrive, exactly? I wasn't quite awake," Raven asked.

"Midnight on the dot," Seth's voice was flat.

He went about eating his food and drinking coffee, their conversation coming to an anti-climax. Together, they ate in silence. Solitude was Seth's fancy, so long as it remained true solitude. Either she was tired or didn't care for him. Her chords had always struck as somewhat antisocial, though Obsidian's had too. They both looked round, voices and footfalls of the others disturbing the peaceful silence that had fallen between them.

Starfire, Robin and Cyborg groggily paced into the room.

The other Titans found their food, sat down and began eating. It wasn't long before one of them started asking questions. It was only fair, given how Seth had come into the Tower.

"So Seth, you want to tell us about yourself?" Starfire asked.

Seth had been asked this question before at some point. He'd rehearsed it to the point of automation. "I am six foot even, weigh about 175 pounds and am 17 years old. I hail from Grant City, 19 miles northwest," Seth downed the rest of his coffee.

"How did you hear about us?" Starfire asked, determined to make the best of a bad situation.

"Channels," Seth replied.

"Of?" Robin asked.

"Propaganda."

"What did you do before you got here?" Starfire's curiosity had a hard time containing itself.

"I was used as a one man special assault and investigatory unit, funded by the CIA," he explained.

" _Used?_ " Starfire asked.

The others had stopped eating, waiting for an answer.

"The CIA and local police force there offered food and water, shelter, clothing, everything essential for survival. In return I was to hunt down various criminals in the city."

"We've never heard of you," Robin wiped away some orange juice from his lips.

"No, you wouldn't have. That's how I was designed."

"What about your family? What did they have to say about this?" Cyborg fixated on Seth.

"They had nothing to say because they did not exist."

He hadn't wanted to sound offended but Seth was sure it'd come across that way. He could stay and try to fire up some sort of warm conversation about life and all that fun stuff.

He contemplated.

Pondered.

Debated.

 _Nothing._

Silence enveloped the room. Seth took it upon himself to leave, deciding that additional planning and preparation was needed for later. The Titans watched him go and after a long moment they finally went about eating their breakfast again.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Starfire asked.

Robin shrugged. "He checks out, at least legally. We'll find out if he has the stuff to make it as a Titan."

"They could be forged," Raven added.

Cyborg shook his head. "No, not what I found. They're not forged, they're real. Man, if only BB were here to see this."

"Any update on him?" Raven asked.

Robin leaned back in his chair. "He's out doing his own thing at the moment. I haven't really heard anything. I can try to do some digging."

"Let me handle that, man," Cyborg sipped on his orange juice.

"How do we even talk to him?" Starfire stood, floating to the trash can and emptying her scraps.

"He still has his communicator, I think," Robin said, "plus he's always got his phone."

"I can text him, but I never seem to get a response," Raven said.

"I don't think we will, Raven," Robin said, "he'll let us know he's alive, I think, but that's it. We'll know more when he's done doing what he needs to do."

"Until then?" Cyborg turned.

"Seth Obsidian fills the position."

Raven finished her coffee. "Provided nothing goes wrong."

"Provided," Robin agreed.


	3. The City

**The City**

The day slowly drifted on with little purpose. Then again, that's how everything seemed to be as of late. Things had grown quiet. Crime was handled by the local police force, the Titans left to their own devices.

It was an omen. An existential crisis. Boredom.

Raven had tried to ignore it and failed. Their purpose was unstable now. She wasn't old yet, but she wouldn't be a teenager for much longer. Adulthood crept closer by the minute. Years had passed. Every one of the Titans were of legal age more or less.

 _Getting old, that's wisdom, right?_ Raven sat on her bed, legs crossed.

Morning had come and with it, a bored, grinding city. Eyes focused on a single solitary spec of dust, she began her breathing routine. In and out, nose then mouth, slow, persistent and collective.

Peaceful, quiet.

Silent.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire took it upon herself to burst through her door.

Raven was not amused. "Yes, oh joyous one?"

Starfire bounced, "We're going to show Obsidian the city! I love taking new people around and I wanted you to join us. Will you?"

"Damn it," Raven unfolded her legs and slouched forward.

"Yay!"

* * *

Seth sat in his room, the shades drawn and overhead lights off. His thoughts were null, blank. Seth let out a deep sigh, shaking his head.

"Perfect."

 _I'm patient._

He laid in his bed, crossing his arms behind his head.

Slowly, but very surely, they came.

A few images of violence stirred somewhere in the back of his brain, gnawing and biting. He had kind of expected it, at some point. It was a figure composed of complete darkness, a shape of chaos - his nemesis. As the thing's face began to materialize, someone tapped on his door. Seth glanced up, perplexed.

"Come in."

The light from outside his room hurt at first, but subsided to a tolerable annoyance.

Starfire's shadow cast itself over the floor. He figure blocked a portion of the light, but not enough to take away the sting.

"Can I help you, Starfire?" Seth stood, stretching.

"We're all heading out into the city for a little bit of relaxation, and were wondering if you wished to join us."

"No crime fighting today?" Seth replied, turning to look at her.

"Well..." she trailed off.

Seth shrugged. "Evil's grown soft, right?"

"...Things seemed to have quieted down, sure. And if anything arises we will be able to deal with it whenever it does so."

Seth nodded. "So what's the point of going in the city again?"

"I suppose to acquaint you with the city, new friend," Starfire shrugged.

"Or have the city acquainted with me?"

"Sure, yes…" Starfire stammered.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"One moment, Star." Seth pulled on his trench coat and settled the two 9mms into their respective places, carefully sliding his knife into its sheath.

 _A good knife sings._

Dressed, Seth walked out of his room and into the brightly lit corridor.

Seth followed her down the hallway in silence. She was tense, nervous even – maybe he made her uncomfortable. He was new.

Perhaps conversation would help.

"So is Robin your boyfriend?" Seth pulled a toothpick from his pocket, chewing on it.

"What makes you think I have boyfriends?"

Seth stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm not the best at small talk."

She giggled lightly. "That's okay!"

He'd gathered that her pep stemmed from alien origins. Seth got the impression Starfire was a little too trusting. A bad thing to have, trust. It could break you, it could betray you, it could kill you. Seth and Starfire stepped into the elevator.

She noted his toothpick. "Did you use to smoke?"

"I used to for a little while," Seth plucked the toothpick from his mouth, flipping it around to the side he hadn't chewed.

"Wasn't that bad for your exercise?" she asked, calling the elevator.

"Breathing city air gives you cancer."

After a long silence, the doors slid open. A short corridor ended ahead, leading into the main operations room. The others had gathered there, waiting. Sunlight poured in through the windows, giving the hallway natural glow. Seth wished he could appreciate such a sight, but such things were lost to him.

"Morning," Seth chimed.

Seth eyed their movements, his glance moving to Raven and Cyborg. They seemed to be indifferent.

"So where are we going?" Raven groaned.

"For pizza, or a rave!" Starfire exclaimed.

"I could go with a rave, man," Cyborg took a drink of his soda, "I could show off my ride. I've been working on it a lot."

"Well, that will be the quickest way to learn the city. A rave would be a good introduction. There's one tonight," Robin stood.

"How so?"

Robin ran a finger over an open palm. "Long route. You can see quite a bit of the city on the way to the rave."

"Come on, it will be fun. Seth?" Cyborg finished his soda.

"Let's go."

The main doors slid shut behind him as he came out into the sun. Its golden rays revealed a tall, sterling tower in the shape of the letter 't', nestled along the edge of the shore. The entrance was facing away from the hundred foot drop into the cold ocean, towards the city.

 _Beautiful._ Seth threw his old toothpick out and started chewing on another one.

He checked his watch. 4pm. Clouds drifted lazily overhead, casting thin, fleeting shadows. A few discarded newspapers drifted along the concrete, caught in the cool breeze. Blue sky stretched endlessly with a big, yellow sun in the center of it all.

The Titans walked alone a single paved road that led up the garage, another entrance slapped on the building's right side. Seth wasn't able to help himself; he studied them.

Starfire and Robin were talking about some inane subject. It bothered him normally, but his circumstance were far from normal. He was beginning to grow fond of conversation. Being alive, existing, meant taking time to do things that mattered. Seth could sense the beginning of depression setting in – a sort of merciless, omnipotent blanket of hopelessness. It was common for Seth to feel it several times a day, especially by the afternoon. Had anyone else? He wondered about Raven's psyche. Was it the same with her? She repressed her emotions only because she had too.

There had never been anyone in Seth's life. Most people were either fearful or indifferent of him. He knew little about fear himself.

They had reached the end of the paved roadway, entering the city.

Skyscrapers dominated Seth's view, reaching up into the heavens, belonging to huge corporations and businesses. Smaller buildings of various types scattered between them, made of complexes with cheaper rent and residential purposes.

Houses, stores, bars, restaurants, places that distracted people from the reality of the situation of the planet, decorated the boardwalk of Jump City.

They'd all be dead if Natas had survived, everyone of them. He was almost sure that he had destroyed it. Almost. Seth sensed the pace slow. The group stopped walking, standing in front of a restaurant. Since his birth, Seth had been bred for battle. He lived for combat. He trusted his senses more than anything else. The Titans gathered outside of a small pizza shop with a second floor where there were tables, chairs and umbrellas. It overlooked a few sidewalks and roads below.

They weren't going in like they should have been. Someone was quickly approaching. Any schmuck would recognize the media, especially the Titans. Especially Seth Obsidian.

The person did not have a cameraman following them around, instead a pad of paper and a pencil, ready for an interview with childlike eyes and fervor.

"Robin! Robin! A word?" he asked, Robin putting on a big smile, despite the fact that there was no camera.

"Sure," Robin replied, his voice friendly and welcoming.

The man with the pad nearly jumped. "Rumor has it that Beast Boy has left the team, is it true?" the reporter asked.

"Yes, it is," Robin replied.

Somewhere, Cyborg was rolling his eyes. Somewhere, Raven was groaning. Somewhere, Starfire was biting her lip.

"Why?" the reporter carried on.

"Personal reasons," Robin paused, continuing, "I'm not a liberty to say."

"Oh, and who has replaced him?" at this point, the reporter was nothing but excitement.

"Seth Obsidian," Robin replied.

In unison, the Titans and the reporter turned to gaze at him. Seth shrugged in response, standing a good five feet back from the teammates.

"Do you have anything to say?" the reporter asked, stepping forward toward Seth.

Even as he did so, he faltered, seeing a strange, dangerous thing in Seth's eyes. "Um... okay, I'll get back to you later on that. Uh, thanks for your time everyone, I've got to go now."

Seth watched as the interviewer retreated.

"You know, you're going to have to learn how to talk to the media, we _are_ rather famous around here," Robin said.

 _Like I scared him off, right? I didn't ask to be this way._

Natas left something with Seth, a sort of look of evil in the right lighting. A leftover trace of pure malice. That's what happens when you do battle with a monster – you keep a piece of it with you. It wasn't necessarily his fault, even though he still felt guilty every time someone tried to look him in the eye.

Seth titled his head. "You know, I was going to but he kind of sped off on me."


	4. Warehouse Rave

**Warehouse Rave**

Night fell like a comforting shade across the city. Streetlights glimmered, littering the city's roads. Darkness had come much like the day, with little resistance. There wasn't much crime, not anymore. Seth knew that. The Titans knew it as well. After their meal at the café, the Titans had wandered around the city. It served two purposes; keep an eye out for crime and some much needed recreation. Stress relief, as it were. There wasn't much to fight, to fend off with such a low level of incidences.

 _For now, at least._

People generally tended to avoid Seth if at all possible. He didn't understand why, to be honest. Aside from looking like a loner jerk, Seth was reasonably nice. He had feelings and insight, even though restrained; compassion for fellow man, friendship, introspection and empathy to name a few. He had a particularly annoying one. He'd admit it to none, except himself, and even that was hard.

Infatuation. _A crush._ She was mysterious and attractive. Who could blame him? It'd been a long, difficult, lonely life for him – Seth almost yearned for physical contact. That didn't stop how people saw him. They crossed streets just to avoid him. It didn't do his ego very much good, but it didn't do much harm either.

He had not been here two days and already Seth was instilling fear in those around him. On one hand, he enjoyed the respect. On the other, he just wanted someone to reach out to him. Desires were null, though. He had to keep it level, calm. He had to keep up the demeanor, even when Raven would shoot him a glance or two.

Seth Obsidian was very much human. He had needs. _Needs, damn it._

After the endless hours of walking around local mall and hanging out at a few diners, the Titans returned home. The uneventful night had inspired a well of self-questioning. Star seemed lost, Robin had grown prideful, Cyborg oozed apathy and Raven... well, she kept her emotions hidden.

Like Seth. _Like me._

As the twilight came and went, they had grown restless. Seth holed up in his room once again. Starfire had come for him. He'd begun to suspect maybe she liked him to some degree. She was cute. She'd probably be fun, but she wasn't his type. Not like that at least. He could only appreciate her body like most people would. Time passed. Seth looked up sharply from his desk as he heard soft knocks on his door.

"Enter," he rubbed his temples, mildly annoyed.

He stared at the maps and red ink markings. He'd spent the better portion of two hours connecting dots, signs and backtracking. The pen sat on his desk, unused now, mocking him.

"Yes?" Seth asked.

Star peered through the open door.

"Um, well, we are heading out again. Do you wish to join us? This time we are going to a place you might find more... acceptable."

"Define acceptable," Seth folded his arms.

Starfire stammered, then attempted to answer. "It's kind of like a Nine Inch Nails music video."

"Go on," Seth replied, his interest piqued.

"There is an abandoned warehouse down near the docks. It's really a good place, really. There is a party going on and we're all going," she tapped her fingertips together, biding her time until Seth finally said something.

"All of us?"

She nodded.

"Star, I don't know you very well, but you don't seem to be the haunted warehouse type," Seth leaned back in his chair.

She shrugged. "Yes, this is true. I may meet new friends there, so it's enough of a reason for me to ago."

She was like that. It took only a day of being in her presence to deduce that Starfire's friendship did not discriminate. He hunched forward, clasping his hands together. The map, then pen and the red markings glared back at him. He stared back into it, expressionless. Two hours ago Seth had asked for a detailed map of the city. Robin had given it to him with little recourse. He was studying it, marking places to hide, escape routes and anything else he could find useful.

The sewer network hadn't been mapped out yet. Neither had City Hall, or the park. _But they will, at some point._ Seth inhaled slowly.

"I'll go," he gathered up his things, stretching.

"Everyone's going to be pleased!" she giggled.

"Tell that to Robin."

"I will!" she smiled wide.

"Well, no, not really, just… alright, where is this thing?" Seth pushed his chair under his desk and adorned his trench coat, double checking his pistols and knife.

Star let him finish preparing, then motioned for him. "Follow me."

* * *

The Titans gathered around the new car. Cyborg was beaming at it, Robin was practically drooling and no one else cared. Starfire seemed to understand that yes, this was a rather enhanced car but beyond that, she didn't seem to pay much attention.

"So, you finally finished it, huh? All perked up and top notch. Real horror-show.," Robin asked, looking the car over with a studious grin.

"Yeah, I did, finally. Took me a while to get the parts just in place like they should be. I don't know man, it was a real son of a bitch to get just right. But I did it, though."

"Looks nice," Seth ran a finger over the hood.

"I just wish BB was here to see it. He would have really loved it. We spent weeks talking about getting this thing perfect," a look of sadness fell over him.

Cyborg missed Beast Boy. Seth seemed to understand a bit better than the others. Brotherhood is hard to come by, along with trust. Obsidian knew the pain of sadness, probably more than most of the Titans. Depression came to you when you were weakest, when you were the most vulnerable. It ranged from feeling blue to downright apathy and physical pain.

Seth looked up at Cyborg, "I think he would have been pleased. You did a good job."

"So do I," said Robin, though he didn't sound like he meant it very much, "let me drive."

"You know, I wanted to drive it, but without him here, yeah, I guess so," Cyborg tossed Robin the keys.

"I won't wreck her," he unlocked the front door.

"Yeah, you better not," Cyborg muttered.

Robin sat in the driver's seat with Cyborg next to him, everyone else cramming into the back. Starfire separated Seth and Raven from each other, gazing forward with her typical enthusiasm. He wanted to stay on the edge, keep distant as it were, but simply didn't have the energy. Being shoulder to shoulder with the only two Titans made him uncomfortable at first, but he accepted it eventually. It'd been a long week for him – maybe physical contact wasn't such a bad idea.

 _I need a break._

He looked over at Raven. She stared at him, annoyed. "Why do you look at me so much?"

Seth shrugged, "I'd ask you the same."

Raven stared at him for a moment, then directed her attention back to whatever Cyborg and Robin were doing.

Cyborg reached tapped something on his wrist. "Door opener, built in! Made it myself."

The garage door slid open with the push of a button, Cyborg glancing around with a smug look of satisfaction plastered over his face. "Cool? It's cool. Definitely cool."

"Most certainly!" Starfire squirmed.

Robin started the car. "I like how she sounds. Purrs like a cat. How fast do you think I can get her to accelerate to in a few seconds?"

"Don't break her," Cyborg waved his finger.

"Nothing to 60," he said with a grin on his face, slamming his foot on the gas.

The car peeled out of the garage, leaving tire marks along the road's pristine, black pavement.

Starfire gripped a handle on the car's interior side, bracing against Seth and the backseat as buildings, signs, pedestrians and pure concrete passed by in a daze of approaching city light. The garage door shut behind them as Robin flew down the paved roadway with no observable direction.

He was easily going fifty and gaining speed. They swerved into the main road of the city, Robin's infatuation with speed painfully obvious.

"Let up a little?" Cyborg asked.

"You afraid we're gonna crash? No way, we're heroes, that kind of thing happens to other people," Robin replied.

"So says you," Raven muttered.

"I didn't ask the goth chick for an opinion," Robin snapped back, shifting into wide turns and spins that tempted physics with a nice, fatal bloodbath.

Raven seethed, flipping Robin off.

"Slow down," Cyborg warned, "if you don't want we wreck, I _will_ kick your ass."

"Just tell we're in the city!" Robin swerved another corner, grinning.

It was only a God given miracle that they made it down to the docks and to the warehouse party without a scratch. He stopped the car among the dozens of other cars, nestling beside the slew of teenage angst. The dull, rhythmic thudding of music could be heard as much as felt. The Titans got out of Cyborg's shiny new auto, scanning the area.

Seth glanced around, studying the environment. "Popular place?"

Starfire turned to him. "Oh yes!"

"Oh boy," Raven said, rolling her eyes.

He saw dozens of teens heading into the warehouse, some with piercings and tattoos, others with the dyed hair and neon glow sticks. A black, hatchback mustang pulled up to the side of the warehouse, stopping its engine. A cloud of thick smoke drifted out of the opening doors, staining the air. Four teens came out; a skinny one with short black hair and a smile so wide it pierced his cheeks. Another with blonde hair and blue eyes emerged from the car, significantly higher than the rest. The third wore trench coat much like Seth's – there was a definite smirk in the dark attire, just subdued. His glanced around with his shaven head, helping the fourth participant out of the car. The final teen wore all black with a pair of glasses, matching his inky hair and stoicism.

"Ah, man! We chonged it UP!" the skinny teen with black hair lit up a cigarette.

"I don't even... what is on going," the blonde one exclaimed, lighting up his own cigarette.

Raven stood by Seth, staring. "What is it that they're doing?" she asked.

Seth felt a small grin manage through his hardened face. "It's been called therapy in some places. Other test subjects referred to it as running through the forest. I call it tending to the herb," Seth shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Pot," Raven stated, one of the stoned teens damn near hacking up a lung.

Raven spun around, making her way into the warehouse. Seth watched the quarter laugh at their own jokes, dispersing into the party. On some level, he longed to be like them. They were free, something Seth could never be. He turned his attention to the warehouse, making his way inside.

 _Are they normal? Is that what normal is?_

Seth felt his desires sink to simple tropes – to have a normal life, to be a normal teenager with friends. Friends, not _allies._ They had a purpose, whatever it was. Seth had one too, but it wasn't like the people partying tonight. He sighed heavily, passing the interior doors of the warehouse. Lights and bizarre, exotic colors beamed around the walls, casting glow among the collective teenagers and youthful adults. This wasn't death in front of him, this was life. Life in the sense that you were moving, you were kinetic.

Everything went to hell the moment the Titans stepped foot into the party. Someone yelled 'bust!' louder than the DJ's overpowered speakers, starting a panic. Everyone ran, snatching what remained of the pot, beer and other illegal party favors. Seth watched the pandemonium unfold.

"Watch this," Cyborg nudged him.

Raven spread her dark energies after muttering a strange chant, holding every single person where they stood, grasping them in some mysterious dimensional power. Robin applauded her with a wide grin on his face. He bowed, then paced to the for of the frozen party-goers.

 _How theatrical._

"Thank you, dear Raven," he stopped clapping, addressing the mass of frozen teens, "everyone chill out, we're not here for a bust, we're here to party."

Raven then released everyone. They paused, looking up at Robin, deer-in-headlights painted over their faces. The tenseness finally broke.

"It's all good!"

Lust and ecstasy returned back to their former glory. The music resumed; people kept on doing what they were doing and the general atmosphere calmed down. Cyborg and Starfire disappeared into the crowd, hunting for someone to dance with.

"You're not here for a bust, prove it," one of the approaching teens said, and produced a blunt, "smoke it."

"A challenge," Seth crossed his arms, "well, are you going to smoke it?"

Robin scratched his head. "I've never tried it."

"Are you scared?" another teen said.

Robin looked down at it, then held out his hand. The teen smirked, smacking it down in Robin's palm. He put it up into his mouth, another teen lighting the tip cherry-red. Robin took a slow drag, coughing wildly. A weak chuckle escape Seth as he watched.

"Alright," the teen said reluctantly, "I guess you're good."

Seth patted Robin on the back. "I think you should sit down and catch your breath."

"Oh god, my chest," Robin hacked.

He ripped the blunt out of Robin's mouth and then walked off into the crowd. "Don't worry, I'll take this," Seth said, wandering off.

It was then that he noticed Raven still standing by his side, silent. She turned and looked at him, her eyes burning into his. Seth gazed back for a brief moment before Starfire called her off into the crowd. Of all times, did Star have to do this now? Raven's mouth twitched in anger and she turned towards the alien girl, displeased.

"Wait," Seth let it escape him.

She looked back for a moment, then returned to Starfire, leaving Seth behind.

He watched her go, a surge of boredom overcoming him. Seth flicked the joint onto the floor, stamping it out. No matter what kind of alcohol he drank, no matter what drug he did, it would have no affect on him, aside from damaging his health. Nothing got him high, so to speak, but it still irritated his lungs. He couldn't get drunk, either. That privilege was taken from him at birth by some scientist playing god with test tubes of genetically engineered serum.

But he still liked to do it sometimes, perhaps to show off, perhaps to feel alive or even appear normal – somewhat human. He spotted Robin, sitting at a makeshift bar with a few others, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand.

He took a sip of it and then looked around at his admirers, the audience clapping as the Teen Titan downed another shot of some sour mash Kentucky brew. Obsidian made his way to the bar, sitting down next to Robin.

"You drink now, too?" Seth asked.

"Oh what are you going to do, new fish? Try to out drink The Robin?" Robin jeered with a drunk stupor, the crowd following his lead.

"Probably not."

Robin laughed. "Are you scared?"

Seth shot a glance to the kid serving up the drinks. "Everclear, shot glass," he said in a monotonous voice, sitting over the counter.

All eyes suddenly went to Seth. Everclear. Not beer. Not weak whiskey. _Everclear._ Almost pure, burning-your-throat-and-soul, pristine alcohol. The 'bartender' stared at Seth for a moment, before finally nodding and getting it out. "You sure man? We're here to have fun, not have the cops sent over for some idiot getting alcohol poisoning," the bartender advised, pouring the drink into the small of the glass.

Seth picked up the shot glass, held it to the light and tipped it in Robin's direction. In one fluid movement, it was downed.

"Another," he said.

The teen refilled the glass then Seth downed it again. He repeated this process six times, each with a bigger sense of smugness and triumph. He'd let Robin screw with him since day one but right now, in the height of his emotions, he wanted to prove himself – specifically, knock Robin down a couple pegs. Maybe he was trying to impress someone, whoever that was.

"You the god damned Devil," one of the teens said.

Seth turned to look at him, grinning. "Far from it," he said.

"Well..." Robin, disheartened and out-drank, left the bar.

In the crowd, Seth could see Raven sitting in a booth by herself with some goth guy, Starfire attempting to court some random girl, Cyborg with a woman, and Robin finding comfort in several of the other rave attendants. They were having fun and yet, here he was, sitting at the bar, pretending to be something he probably wasn't. He sighed, stealing a toothpick from a nearby condiment tray, rolling it between his lips.

A familiar song played over the radio. "Alone I Break", by a famous band named Korn, reverberated over the sound system. He had grown to love many of their songs, specifically from the Untouchables and Issues albums. Maybe it was the angst in him – either way, it didn't matter. Seth finally stood up and moved to a darkened corner of the warehouse.

He watched. They partied.

 _How many toothpicks does it take to get to the center of a existential crisis?_

The crowd thickened. Seth rubbed his temples, sighing. The worry of what he'd left behind in Grant City came back to him. He tried shaking it off, yet it gnawed at him. He flicked the toothpick on the ground. Somewhere, out there, he knew that the thing he'd thought he'd buried for good was still alive. _Tick tock._ It was coming for him and everything he cared about. Somewhere, behind some set of people, through some thick cigarette smoke, on some stool sat Raven, returning the same gaze of interest Seth had expressed for her earlier.


	5. The Lab

**The Lab**

Light refracted off glass nuances in the warehouse, washing the Titan with neon greens and vibrant reds. Raven sat next to Starfire, who was trying to court some sixteen year old girl into kissing her. Starfire had secretly hoped the liquor and lighting, combined with dark music and weed, would be enough to persuade someone into her bed for the night. As charming as she was, her skills weren't enough to move the teen.

"I'm really not in to girls, but you are cute. Can we just be friends?"

"You don't like me?" Starfire asked.

She shook her head. "Not like that. Maybe we can trade numbers later, but I'd rather just be friends."

Starfire was defeated. "Surely. I am deeply regretting my actions. We'll be friends, Maggie."

Maggie, the rave-tinged teen girl grinned, nodded and left the booth, only Star and Raven remaining. There was a moment of silence, the alien girl trying to hide her bruised ego. She folded her hands together, leaned forward and back, then unfolded them and picked up her nearby shot glass. "Maybe next time," she cheerfully expressed to, well, really no one and then slammed down the whiskey.

"She was so pretty, too," Raven picked up her glass of beer and sipped on it.

Raven knew an attractive women when she saw one; wide hips, a tight, heart shaped butt and inviting cleavage. She also knew a heterosexual on sight, perhaps a strange facet of her powers. No one told her that detecting someone's sexual orientation was a little bonus she got at birth.

"How would you know, Raven? I thought you like the boys from your own dimension," Starfire sat back, arm slung over the booth's upper railing.

Raven shrugged, a good answer evading her. "They can get... intolerable."

"You have eyes for Seth," Starfire giggled, nudging her playfully.

Raven glared at her, then finished her beer. "I'm keeping an eye on him to see what he does, if you're curious."

"Sure thing!" Starfire was looking around again, probably for someone else.

"Really. You know how I feel about that 'love' concept among people," Raven gazed into the moving bodies of the night, fighting the truth that maybe she was developing an interest in the newcomer.

Star chuckled. "Well that is too bad lady Raven. I suppose I can't interest you in me?"

This was not the first time Starfire had propositioned Raven. "We're merely allies. Maybe friends, if you want to put it that way."

Several months ago Starfire had crawled into bed with Raven and, well, it solidified her belief that the two would merely remain close friends and nothing more.

Star sighed, then smirked. "I suppose. Except that one night."

"Hush," Raven stood and dispersed into the warehouse. She knew better than to stick around an intoxicated person with carnal desires; most importantly, she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, including her own. The idea of doing dirty things, flesh against flesh, was reserved, not particularly for someone else but more so to avoid any dangerous aftereffects. She could only imagine how it would feel and the things her powers would do to the physical world in that state of mind. Seeing Seth across the way, she did just that: imagined.

The party pounded on long into the night, switching through different songs and artists. They were mostly by Korn, though there were a few exceptions. Slipknot, Nine Inch Nails, Chevelle and even some Aphex Twin would sprinkle themselves throughout the DJ's speakers. Half the teenagers tehre didn't recognize the artists and the other half didn't care. There were a few, however, who reconciled with shrouded memories of Trent Reznor and Richard D. James. As time passed, the party died down.

Seth found it hard to believe some of the sights throughout the weave of the night. Blatant, gratuitous nudity, marijuana and beer. Violence was slim if there at all, something both the Titans and Obsidian were happy about. Slowly, the teens trickled out of the warehouse in ones and twos, some departing in larger groups.

The night, while still strong, was beginning to show its age. Three in the morning came with deliberate accuracy. Either too tired, too drunk, too high or too partied out, the attendees stumbled to their cars, either passing out in the seat or recklessly driving into the night. Seth and the other Titans eventually made their way back home, an eerie euphoria in their wake. Obsidian drove with cold precision, unaffected by the night's fervor. The zeal of such gatherings, laden with sex and fun, held no barring for him right now. His only focus was getting home and thinking about what the hell he'd do next.

The taste of the city's heart had made him worried; Natas would surely wipe away any form of good. That was his _thing._ Smoking a large portion of marijuana and having lots of sex was fun and, if done correctly, didn't hurt anyone. Society deemed that it still fell under the 'bad' category for most people. This wasn't evil to Seth. Seth had seen evil. Evil was chaos and destruction. People gathering around to enjoy each other's company was the opposite of whatever Natas would bring (or take away, rather).

Seth drove.

Normally, he wouldn't have, but Robin was passed out in a drunken coma, Starfire did not know how to operate the vehicle, Raven had no wishes to and Cyborg had accidentally sent himself into a far deeper depression during a smoking session with several old friends. The nagging uselessness of their identity was catching up with them. No crime? No purpose, at least according to Cyborg.

"It's like everything is pointless," Cyborg covered his face, shaking his head gently.

Seth wasn't sure how to handle this. He debated about which approach he should take. Finally, he settled on quotes from a film he'd once seen.

"If it's pointless, why not give it a point?" Seth asked, turning a corner.

"What do you mean?"

Seth stopped the car at a light, a bulbs above glowing crimson red over the car, nose-deep in an intersection, his gaze turning to meet Cyborg's sinking depression. Seth trained his gaze deep into Cyborg's eyes, requiring nothing short of an atom bomb to break the focus.

Cyborg went quiet, full attention diverted to Seth.

"This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time," Seth's smirk bathed in stoplight-red.

Cyborg raised his brow,."What?"

The lights switched over to emerald green, Seth finishing his advice before beginning to drive again. "It is only after you've lost everything that you are free to do anything."

He removed himself from Cyborg, returning his gaze to the road. There was a moment of intense silence. Street signs and darkened buildings passed them as he closed the distance between the tower and the team. Seth turned another corner, checking his watch, then concluded his speech.

"Only after disaster can we be resurrected," Seth added.

Cyborg sunk silently back into his seat. With that, Seth Obsidian continued home.

* * *

At five in the morning, the Titans arrived home. Unsurprisingly, the tower looked much like it had before attending the warehouse rave. Dying sodium orbs dotted their trip home, their streetlight incandescence only amplifying the party's aftereffects.

 _An ambient filter, akin to candlelight._ Seth cracked his neck.

The car slipped into the garage like a lover into sheets, parking quietly as the door shut behind them. Robin stumbled, supported by Cyborg's hulking mass. He'd had too much, from what the Titans could tell. Alcohol did that – too much of a good thing and it's poison. Seth partially blamed himself; the little dick contest earlier had probably driven Robin to drink toxic amounts of Vodka and whatever the hell else they were serving. Robin was trying to prove something. Whatever it was, if it was him being a strong leader, a good person, or a bad boy, Seth didn't know.

"He's out cold," Cyborg said.

Raven quietly responded with a hint of sarcasm. "No one saw that coming."

Seth wasn't sure how Robin did it, but he managed to come off as a grade A jerk half the time. Oddly, the alcohol hadn't really brought out the angry side of him; instead, there was a depression. Raven went to her room almost immediately, shooting a few glances Seth's way before she vanished. Starfire was about as calm as she could be, with a hint of strangeness. Marijuana did that, along with making her somewhat too giggly. Memory served that Star had only drank most of the night, but Seth wasn't anyone's keeper; she could have rolled a blunt at any time he hadn't been watching.

Cyborg went to his room then promptly fell asleep, probably ready to dream of new meanings and life potentials. Maybe he'd perk up, maybe not; either way, Seth had stood by his advice, though most of it was lifted from a novel he'd read earlier.

He stood as if a statue. His frighteningly efficient internal system allowed him to operate with only one hour of sleep a night, Seth sometimes choosing not to sleep at all. The only drawback came in tomes of nightmares and dreams. He grimaced, challenging his preconceptions. Why not start early? He could begin conjuring images now, tinker-toys in his mind's eye to play with while he slept. And why should there be a limit on these fantasies, these desires? Thoughts of Raven nude, undressing, came to his mind.

 _Calm yourself, Seth – don't think with the wrong head._

Lately, his control of primal urges had waned. Maybe he'd weakened, or perhaps this was the first time he was beginning to feel comfort. He had gone to the top of Titan Tower later, sat on the very edge of the hundred foot drop over the other hundred foot plunge into the ocean and watched the sun rise. Birds and other creatures flew through the glowing clouds, finally spreading so far apart it was impossible to tell what they were. Beams of warm, golden rays enveloped him. It was around eight in the morning when he finally came back down to the mess-hall to get a bit of food, realizing he needed some fuel, particularly protein and caffeine, to carry the day on.

The only one awake and coherent, of course, was Raven. She sat quietly at the kitchen table, nursing a mug of steaming contents.

"Coffee?" Seth asked.

Their eyes met. Something crackled on the air, something strange and unfamiliar to both of them.

"Yeah," she sipped.

A small screen mounted on the wall of the mess-hall chimed. Raven gave Seth a final look, then rose to her feet and stalked over to the Audio/Video unit. Someone's face appeared on the screen. He appeared displeased and almost frantic. Strained tones laced his words as he spoke, explaining the situation to Raven. In the end, she simply nodded, informed him that the Titans would be there quickly and shut down the unit. She turned back to Seth. He took a bite out of a chicken breast he'd found in the refrigerator, chasing it with some orange juice.

"I need your help." Raven said.

"With?" Seth replied.

She stammered. "It's important."

Seth nodded. "Okay, what is it?"

"Go and wake Cyborg, inform him that we are needed for a mission," Raven explained.

Seth nodded once, needing no further explanation. They both made their way to the elevator, wanting to speak, but failing. The ride up towards the living quarters was silent and before either of them could say anything anyway, the lift arrived. Steel doors slid open, revealing the corridor. The two left each other and strode off down the hallway towards their respective tasks.

Seth found Cyborg's room easily enough. He wondered how the tin man was doing since their lost conversation. _Only one way to find out._ Seth knocked loudly, pausing for a moment.

"What?" finally came the reply.

"We have acquired a mission. Be ready."

"Let me tell you just how excited I am..." Cyborg's voice trailed off as Seth walked away.

He headed towards his own room to gather up his things. Now, finally, it was time for action, time for battle. Seth lived for battle, quite literally. It's how he was bred, designed and engineered. He had been born and raised for war, created for combat; it was his life. For a while, he'd seen things like friendship and other common commodities as trivial. That had been changing as of recent, but he still had war coursing through his veins. There was only battle for him, at least at one time. Seth arrived at his room and entered it, then swiftly went about pooling his stuff together. He pulled on his trench coat, slid his weapons into their respective places and then headed back out of his room.

The pistols were fully loaded with hollow-tip rounds, the casing with a bit of extra powder for more of a "pow". He'd seen the test dummies react, remembering fitting his fist into the holes the powerful ammunition had left. When he arrived at the elevator, he found that Cyborg was already there. He looked rigid and alert.

"What happened? You didn't sound thrilled earlier," Seth checked the edge of his knife; sharp as hell and persistent.

"Purge," Cyborg plainly stated.

There were suddenly noise from somewhere in the hallway and the others came down, Robin stumbling down the hallway. He groaned and clutched at his head, hungover. Seth felt a tiny smirk tease the corner of his mouth.

"Thought you held your alcohol well," Seth said.

"Go to Hell," Robin replied, gaining his balance.

"Been there, done that," Seth replied calmly. They all finally came into the elevator as the doors slid open again.

For the most part, no one said anything. Passing lights in the shaft quickly faded as they approached their destination. Robin finally took note of Cyborg's rigidness and sharpness, curious.

"Why are you so uppity this morning? You had at least as much as I did," he asked.

"I flushed everything from my system using a special drug called Purge. You want some?" Cyborg replied.

"Might as well, we've got a mission coming up," Robin replied, holding out his hand like a child wanting candy.

Cyborg handed him a small pill as they stepped out of the elevator.

"I must warn you," Cyborg said as Robin put it into his mouth, "you might want to be near a toilet or sink."

That's about when Robin swallowed it. He suddenly pulled a face and vomited all over the carpet floor, retching up the last few gobs of stomach acid and leftover sour-mash whiskey.

"God damn it!" he yelled in anger, wiping his mouth.

"Tried to warn you," Cyborg replied, smug.

Starfire patted him on the back, "It's okay Robin, I did the same thing the first time."

He only glared at her, then stood. "Whatever, let's just get out of here."

They all headed towards the exit.

"Question is, how do we get there?" Cyborg asked.

Raven and Starfire looked at each other, one of them saying, "let us worry about that."

As they stepped out into the brilliant sunlight, Starfire picked up Robin via an alien glow. Seth and Cyborg were picked up by Raven's strange, dark energies, following behind. With that, the team headed into the city. Battle was coming.

* * *

They found the crime scene easily enough. One wall was blown open, smoke rising high and billowing up into the air. The building was a research laboratory, according to Raven. There were a dozen cop cars on the streets and more on the way.

"How many cops do you think they sent?" Robin asked.

Cyborg shrugged. "All of them, I think."

SWAT teams and local law enforcement officers were surrounding the building as to make sure that nobody got out. Two helicopter units littered about in the air, keeping an eye on the whole scene from a bird's eye view. It must have been important, Seth thought. Whatever was in there held high value. Considering the city hadn't seen much crime in a while, it may be nerves; Seth wouldn't really know.

 _But I will soon enough, like I always do?_ Shut up, Seth told himself.

As the Titans landed, a police officer approached, gun in hand and sweat over his stricken face. Robin was approached first, the others an afterthought.

"What's going on?" Robin asked.

"From what we can tell, it's an army of Slade's robots. They've broken in and we have no idea what they're doing in there," the man replied.

"Slade?" Starfire piped.

"I thought we got rid of him," Cyborg scratched his head.

"Alright, we'll take care of it," Robin turned towards the others, pausing for a moment. Suddenly Seth was off running.

"Get back!" the officer shouted, falling back to his car.

Obsidian was already reaching into his trench coat, extracting the two modified Berettas as he entered through the hole in the wall. Debris and heat trailed passed his face, his nerves burning with pain. _No, pain is an illusion._ A few turns and sprints and he was deep inside, ready to blow away whatever stood in his path.

He came into a rather large room that was obviously one of the labs within the building. Tables were overturned, glass was everywhere and the place was just generally a mess. Chemicals, things not really supposed to interact with each other, did so. Rank smells of reaction fumed, stinging his nostrils. A trio of robots that all looked exactly the same from which this 'Slade' must have looked like, approached Seth with malicious calm. Their red, glowing eyes beckoned for destruction.

He raised one of his pistols and fired off three shots, all of them directly between the androids' eyes. The robots' heads blew apart, shattering in a plume of sparks and metal. Torn away by the immensely powerful bullets, the three headless bodies fell to the ground, twitching.

 _Pathetic – an army of clones? I've never met you and I already don't like you._

Hell came in a handcart. Slade's forces were definitely ready for him. Somewhere in the back, he could hear Robin yelling for him to wait until everyone assembled, but time was short. Too short, Obsidian groaned as he aimed his pistol.

Dozens of robots began to pour in through a few doorways along the back wall, their only motivation to murder. Seth grinned, feeling the adrenaline of combat boiling in his blood.

 _Now this was more like it._

He raised his two specialized pistols and opened fire. The twenty one bullets were each heart and head shots, each instant kills. It wouldn't matter anyway; the rounds were so destructive, hitting someone near the head was enough to vaporize a skull. Once the Berettas were out of ammo, Seth shoved them back into their respective places. Hack n' slash, he thought. Seth extracted his combat knife. The first of the surviving robots came to him, meeting with his blade. This is what he was meant for and all he would ever aspire to be, at least in these moments. Ruthless, calculating, methodical and lightning fast.

Time for a little dirty work.

The first one that came to Seth was cut down in an instant; he plunged his combat knife into his enemies with fury. He slammed it into the top of the thing's head, a slew of metal and cybernetic goo spilling onto the floor. It cut through the metal with ease and hit the central computer system that ran the robot, stopping it in an instant. Like a hot knife through butter, Seth smirked, ready for the next one.

Seth yanked the knife out and spun around in a circle, a sort of dark battle dance similar to the highest forms of marital arts. The razor sharp blade sliced off arms and fingers, bits and pieces of the robots in a whirlwind of carnage. One came at him, missing an arm, and he kicked its chest in. _Pop._ While the robot was on the ground Seth brought his foot down, completely smashing it's head. The electrical surge that transpired barely effected him.

 _Pain is still an illusion,_ _but I still feel it, damn it.._ _._

He returned the knife to its sheath, intent on getting his hands dirtier. Seth grabbed two of the robots' heads and banged them together, crushing each of them. A small fireball burnt the inside of his hands, leaving a sore and reddened palm. In the short burst, a hand came at his face, seeking to do him harm, but he merely grabbed it and ripped it out of the socket. _Crunch._

Seth beat the robot with his own arm until the limb was too smashed to be used anymore. Sweat and blood mixed from his face, dripping on the floor in little, ominous puddles. Seth grabbed another robot's head and ripped it off, then smashed it into another one, kneading the remains in his hand for a brief second. And then, as quickly as that, it was over. He stood in amid a sea of dead robots, detached limbs and severed heads. Ordered chaos; constructed and deconstructed, he mused. Broken bodies lay all around him and still he stood untouched. The ultimate fighter, the unstoppable warrior, the psychotic killer.

Seth killed and killed and loved every minute of it. The Titans, unnoticed until now (save for the distant, echoing calls of their team leader), stood well back, in the hole. They had been there the whole time, for fear of getting in Seth's way and being injured.

Seth slowly turned around, stoic, eyes landing on the frozen Titans.

Cyborg came up with something short to say. "Damn."


	6. Walking Home

**Walking Home**

Things wound down from there. The Titans searched the rest of the compound, their scrutiny amounting to very little; the robots and Slade's creations had thrown their all at Seth Obsidian. In short, there wasn't anything left besides questions. Raven was standing in the middle of the battle scared room, eyes gazing deep into the puffs of smoke and twisted metal. That meant it was up to Robin, Cyborg and Starfire to discover why the robots were there and what they were after. This again hadn't yielded very much in terms of something useful.

After they had finished searching and securing the area and Seth realized that the fighting was over, he simply left. His direction was almost aimless; "home" was somewhere ahead, if you could call it that. Seth was beginning to think he may be able to down the road.

 _Way the hell down the road, if I live through this._

There was no need for him to stick around. At the end of the day, Seth was just there to kill things. Whatever the incident was, it was up to the others to use their logical deduction skills to figure out what went wrong. Seth was more than capable of this, though he chose not to participate. This was ultimately their city, not his. Stepping on toes, regardless of how irritating some of the Titans could be, would prove counterproductive.

As he had gone out of the great tear in the wall, he had not been exactly too surprised when one of the others had come to join him. One by one, they followed, the authorities and city clean-up crew pacing into the hollowed depths of the lab.

"Look at them go," Seth glanced back momentarily.

"Yeah..." Starfire said quietly, passing him by.

"What?" Seth asked.

She didn't respond but rather kept moving, join Robin and Cyborg. Whatever, Seth thought, shoving his hands into his trench coat pockets and returning to his trek. Now, he and Raven walked together in silence, down the dirtied back roads of the city. Two teens, possibly the two most powerful people in the entire city acting as if pedestrians. They traded a glance here or there, but continued onward. Noise, be it white or black, the coos of pigeons, the sounds of moving cars and crying children, faded into the background.

From what Seth could see, the city was falling apart. Despite the fact that the police force was working overtime and hiring as many people as possible, things were just not working. The Titans were getting lazy, especially Robin. Seth could sense some obsession with this person called Slade. Obsidian knew better to try and get in the way of a man's goals, though. Whenever Robin mentioned the name there was a certain hate and anger in his voice, something that signified the villain was important in a dark way.

Tonight, for whatever reason when Seth glanced around, there was something bad happening. In obscured, back alleyways there were drug deals, illegal gambling and the occasional mugging. Loud music was blaring from cars, mostly rap but sometimes rock, as they swerved down the roads at dizzying speeds. Sometimes, policemen were paid to look the other way as criminals and robbers did their dirty deeds. It was then that it occurred to Seth that crime had not dropped to lower rates. The media had been lying; rather, the system had become so corrupt and that the surge of behavior was simply covered up.

"This is a lot worse then the papers had led me to believe," Seth noted.

Cyborg nodded. "We had suspicion for sometime... but looking at the streets now, I can see that doubts just went out the window."

"I don't get it," Seth shrugged.

Starfire chimed in, "We don't either."

A man with a Colt .45 jabbed the weapon into the chest of another man, demanding something. The perpetrator wore a ski mask and dark clothing, likely studying his crime attire from other criminals. His left hand was held out, palm up, demanding money. The other man looked like he was going for his wallet. It was then that the victim of said crime disposed of a blade hidden in his sleeve, working the sharp edge into the thief's upper chest. His cries were nearly echoes, a few gobs of blood spewing from his wailing mouth. The .45 went off next, ramming a hole through the knife wielder's chest.

Obsidian wanted to say something, almost wanted to act as a crime fighter but felt that for some reason, he shouldn't. _So much for a job description._

Seth shook his head.

The two men fell to the street, never rising again. Seth looked over as he heard a rather loud engine approaching, something in need of a dire tune-up. The hatchback, black Mustang slung around the corner, smoke beneath its peeling wheels. Judging by its looks, this was an earlier model – something from the 90's, likely the first half.

It dove down the street at insane speeds. Three of them, passengers or whatever, leaned out the two front windows with paintball guns, cross-hairs aimed at everything in sight. They tagged people and cars and buildings alike, splattering a pallet of color across the general area of the street. People cursed and yelled in surprise and anger, the teens in the car only responding with a burst of wild laughter. The one driving was laughing so hard the car almost kissed a nearby hydrant, but he quickly regained control. With that, they turned another corner and hauled away. Seth watched them go with fixed eyes, wistful thoughts of freedom stirring in his mind.

Seth and Raven in their calm, peaceful silence, turned the corner as they reached the end of the street. Slowly but surely they made their way towards Titan Tower, no less than an eighth of a mile away. Seth saw a prostitute being arrested by two cops, a fire truck desperately steering down the street to extinguish something, somewhere unseen and a homeless man vomiting into a trashcan. He heard deliberate shouting that grew louder and as they passed a rather large, open alleyway. Seth spotted a large group of men cheering and carrying on, surrounding two other people who were beating the living shit out of the other. The moment seemed like a celebration; this wasn't a normal fight. One of them in the crowd reassuringly shouted, "You are not your job! You are not how much money you have in the bank!"

He couldn't help but let a grin wash over him.

 _The things you own end up owning you._

On the opposite side, a murder scene concluded. He watched as two medical officers put a chalk outline around one of many bodies from a recent gang war. That was the likely case given the amount of outlines he could count. There was suddenly the sound of squealing tires - rubber burning against black asphalt, a car approaching from up the street. There were strange markings all over it, probably that of a local gang or some mafia. The windows were rolled down with great intent and the barrels of pistols and sub-machine guns were stuck out, positioned with yet more intent. People screamed and ran as a barrage of bullets began to pound all over the street, showering holes and debris along the exterior wall of a quaint strip mall.

Someone was bleeding. The car continued to drive by, mowing more people down. She hadn't taken long to respond; Raven chanted, dark energies springing forth from her upraised hands and wrapping around the car. She brought the car upwards about twenty feet into the air, everyone on the road pausing to watch what was going to happen next, even those who had been shot mercilessly, still holding onto a sliver of consciousness. The car came down with savage fury, slamming it into the ground repeatedly until everyone inside had broken just about every bone in their body.

"Damn gangs," Robin groaned, slinging a grenade at the car.

Within seconds, it ignited, vaporizing the vehicle. Shrapnel dispersed into the air, luckily harming no one. Raven's eyes returned to normal, her powers ceasing.

"Call the fire guys?" Cyborg asked.

Robin shook his head. "Nah. Something tells me they'll be on their way soon."

"It'd be a good warning," Raven nodded.

With that finished, Seth and Raven continued on down the road. They progressed through the city, enjoying the "scenery", so to speak. More bad things happened, gang wars continued, but it was nothing entirely life-threatening, at least not to Seth and Raven and the others. Perhaps the little warning they'd sent out earlier with the drive-by had done its job… for now. Eventually, they reached Titan Tower.


	7. Slade's Death

**Slade's Death**

Some time later, the other three Titans returned. Seth and Raven had split up and gone to their respective rooms once they had gotten home. Like any other night, he put his mind to work. Seth was studying the map of the city again. He was going to great pains to review each and every possible escape route, along with any hiding places or covert undersides of the city. He had been forced to hide once before.

Well actually, dozens of times before. It had all began with the witch hunt that had opened up in Grant City once the cops had actually learned the truth about him. It had been he against the city and damn all consequences. He had rather liked that; him against the world with nothing but cold steel, his bare hands and a few other implements of destruction.

There were red crosses all over the map, marking specific areas of interest. He would have to go about setting up special precautions in those places: food, water, clothing, weapon. Seth sat back in his chair, resting. Thinking.

It had been at least an hour since the others had come home. Robin diverted to his room almost immediately, and tried to give him some speech about teamwork and how Seth was a bad impression on Raven beforehand. Robin hadn't suspected Raven was nearby, so it had not looked too good when she was suddenly there and had coldly, almost dangerously, told Robin that she could make decisions for herself.

Seth had found the whole thing almost comical when Robin, embarrassed but still attempting to pull his dignity about him, simply retreated down the hall and to the rec room. Nobody else had bothered Seth since then. Seth rose lithely to his feet and looked out of his window. The curtains were pulled back, the sunlight held at bay through the tinted film that Seth had very recently put up. Great, towering skyscrapers looked back at him, the sunlight glinting off of their metal and glass that made up the buildings.

Humanity thought itself so powerful, so safe and secure in their technology and weapons, but they were wrong. They were not safe and most certainly _not_ secure. There were forces out there that did not care about the size of your weapon. It would never stop coming.

 _You know all about that, don't you?_ Seth bit his lip.

He had found that out the hard way. Since he had completely destroyed Natas's body, he'd hoped the that the horror was gone. Of course, things like Natas usually did not die that easily.

 _Do they, Seth?_

Seth stopped that train of thought. He hated to admit it, but it was only disturbing looked around sharply as there was a familiar knock on his door.

"Enter," he said in his monotone voice. The door slid open revealing Starfire in all her alien naivety. "Yes?" Seth asked.

"I...I wish to ask you some questions," she said almost hesitantly.

"Go on."

"The others wish to know how you are able to do what you do. How are you so quick, so fast?"

"I suppose its time for you all to know," Seth said. "I am the end result of genetic engineering," he said calmly.

Starfire stared blankly at him. She slowly regained her composure, as if returning from a daze.

"But...I assumed that that was one of the forbidden practices on your planet."

"It is," Seth replied, staring straight at her.

She begin to fidget under his gaze. Finally she nodded, turned and left. Seth moved forward the close the door, since, in her hurry, Starfire had forgotten to. The local intercom clicked on, Seth pausing midway. It was Robin who spoke.

" _Titans, we've got a situation,"_ he sounded excited. _"They've found Slade and called us. Assemble at the front door. Now."_

He left his room almost immediately, Robin's voice still lingering over the PA.

The comm system clicked off, another nearby door opening. Raven floated, almost drifted, down the hallway, wrapped in her dark energies. Her hood hid her face in darkness, giving her an eerie look. _One you like, don't you, Seth?_ He followed her to the elevator, which Starfire had already occupied. The three teens crowded in and began to head down to the ground.

* * *

The Titans arrived at the scene, although later than they had wanted. It was an abandoned warehouse on the far side of town, at the docks. No one came here, not even the thugs and bums looking for a hiding spot. It was as if someone had removed it from the city's map completely. Sometimes, Slade would move to a different area for a new base of operations. This was only on occasion, if only to keep Robin guessing. The place was completely out of character for what a typical day would have been like.

Instead of the cold, quiet, calm usual setting where the only things that moved were set off by the wind, there were police cars, SWAT trucks, helicopters, fire trucks, ambulances and more. Policemen and SWAT swarmed around the warehouse, guns pointed at every possible exit. More men and women in blue suits were exploring the area. All of the catwalks, small rooms and hidden corners were under constant scrutiny by the local forces. Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven and Seth all entered a massive hole in the wall on the front side of the warehouse. It wasn't like the one at the research lab. This one looked like it was torn open through brute force rather than a bomb or explosive.

Seth had a bad feeling. There was something familiar about the whole thing. He swallowed, pacing into the building. The first signs of struggle exposed themselves to the Titans. Bodies lay everywhere, hundreds of them. Robotic versions of Slade lay broken and shattered all around, littering the floor. There was damage visible in all directions; dents in steel panels and cracks in the solid concrete walls, crates and boxes toppled over, unused supplies spilled out of industrial crates. Abandoned machinery and equipment that had been left to rust and collect dust was now knocked over or in pieces.

Doors were ripped open or sometimes missing. Wherever anyone looked, there were dead robots. This was absolutely nothing in comparison with the amount of robots that had been at the research labs. Others moved about the great rooms, pistols and flashlights pointed in all different directions in search of the person or thing that had done this. As the Titans made their way deeper into the warehouse, silence reigned.

Finally, it was broken by Robin.

"Hey! This place has survelliance!" he said eagerly, gesturing at a camera in the upper right hand corner of the room.

Seth looked up to where he had indicated and sure enough, there was a top of the line security camera, swerving slowly back and forth, a red light blinking from somewhere on its chassis.

"I say we go and find the main security center," Cyborg took a step forward, eyeing the cameras.

The Titans continued forward, following the path of destruction until they came to a single doorway that had been ripped off of its hinges and thrown aside. And there, inside of a small room crammed with computers and monitors and screens and other equipment, was Slade.

Or rather, what was left of Slade. He had been decapitated, his head was nowhere to be found. Blood splattered itself everywhere, the thick crimson fluid coating the place in relatively dried pools. Starfire leaned over to puke, Cyborg looking like he'd join her. Robin exploded in anger.

"No! Why!? I wanted to kill this bastard!" he shrieked, kicking the headless body and stalking off.

 _Looks like someone already did._

Raven and Seth now stood within the doorway.

"I must say I find this.. disturbing," Raven said in a quiet voice, "I mean, we've been trying to nail Slade from the beginning and now this..." she turned around, contemplating.

Seth stalked forward into the room. He had to know what happened here. More and more this was looking all too familiar. He begin to work the controls. Seth ignored the blood as he labored to bring up a sufficient amount of data, scouring the security's database for any clue on what the hell had happened.

"What are you doing?" Raven asked.

Seth turned to her. "Try to find me a CD-R."

She nodded, searching through a few filing cabinets.

"CD-RW okay?" she extracted a compact disc from a pile of media, brandishing it in the dim fluorescent lights.

"Good," he said, taking it from her as she placed it in his hands.

He finally accessed the program of the security systems, then he downloaded all of the day's events from all the cameras onto the disc they'd found stuffed in a pile of equipment. He slowly stood up, staring at the monitors and keyboards, the wires and network cables. In the background, Robin's cursing echoed off the walls.

With that, he left the security room and he and Raven made their way towards there the other Titans were, at the hole in the wall.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Whatever it is," he shoved the disc in his pocket, "I hope I don't find it."

Seth stopped, staring down at the headless body of Slade, glancing back up to Robin in the next room, still ranting about his trophy. _Pathetic._ Seth stepped over the lifeless body, passing the four heroes. Raven and Cyborg stood expressionless as Starfire attempted to calm Robin's nerves, assuring him that it was better to have Slade removed from the equation.

"I don't like this," Cyborg said.

Raven nodded. "Neither do I."


	8. The Examination

**The Examination**

Lonely and dark the Titan Tower stood as a storm rolled over the nearby ocean. It was raining again, beats of thunder and spears of lightning jutting down from the sky. Cyborg hadn't noticed it very much, nor had Seth or the others. That could have been because half the sound was muted through the tower's walls. Seth wasn't for sure, but it didn't matter. If anything, it acted as a sort of background noise to the world around them. What had remained of the night fell prey to the winds of lust, arrogance and obsession. They intertwined here and there, sometimes between different members of the team and other facets.

Some chose to dream, like Cyborg. He'd had enough of how the day had gone and would rather just be done with it. No longer did he want to think of Robin complaining or trying to assert his dominance, especially over his car. Instead, he found his favorite magazines, read and then fell asleep. Video games and tinkering were not even in the cards for him. The only thing he could think of was sleep. He did manage to think, briefly, of what Robin had been doing before he passed out.

The arrogant leader had gone to play a game. Doom 4, if he had remembered correctly. Normally, Beast Boy and Cyborg would be joining him. That meant Raven and Starfire would be doing whatever it is they do on nights like these. Cyborg had, at least for a while, suspected they were doing feminine things, stuff that he and the boys couldn't relate to. He had begun to suspect otherwise, but that was for a different night. Now was simply for sleep.

* * *

She lay still as Starfire's soft, alien fingertips caressed her exposed lower back. Raven's skin, at least in this light, could have been confused for a ghost dipped in lavender. Star had noticed this, probably more than any guy who ever touched her. So these nights, they decided, would be for exploring each other's bodies and what it was to be a woman. They were cuddling right now, laying on Starfire's bed and keeping their mostly nude bodies pressed together.

"Seth's onto something, I think."

Raven nodded, snuggling a bit more. "When did I come to this again, Starfire?"

"You were really drunk one night. Really drunk. And you cried. Stuff was blowing up around your room and I you didn't want the boys to see you this way, well, anyone. So I came in and did what I did ever so best: annoy you."

"And this constitutes me being in your arms, naked?"

Starfire shrugged. "Just two friends cuddling."

Raven's hand ran down the cleavage of Starfire, gently caressing the lace material of her bra.

"Never thought of you as a Victoria's Secret kind of girl."

"I never thought of you as this way with me either, Raven. I thought I turned you off, as you say it."

"Eh. Emotions aside, it's nice. Maybe more someday."

Starfire blushed gently and nodded. "That sounds fantastic Lady Raven."

"You are right, though."

Starfire perked up. "Right? About what?"

"Seth is onto something."

* * *

Robin had come to terms with it: Seth was beginning to take the role as the alpha. The rest of the team were beginning to look up to him. Robin had considered, briefly, beginning to smoke as a way to increase his popularity among the team and, in turn, boost morale. _I'd be cool – a bad boy with an edge._ He sat by himself in front of the coffee table, rolling a cigarette back and forth across its mahogany surface, waiting for the moment to light the cancer stick.

The moment didn't come. Instead, he simply sat and stared at it. Robin had never been a fan of smoking and wondered why people wasted their time, money and health on it.

Then again, Seth may have be immune the effects of the 4,000 known chemicals in a cigarette. Robin wasn't immune and, for all intents and purposes, this made him inferior. If anything, he wanted to regain that position he once held as the popular role model. Perhaps, as time had gone on, this faded into something less... something worthless. It didn't matter. The thoughts of these things were infuriating him and he finally wanted to know, deep down, why Seth was the way he was. He was going to march in there, gaze stern and focused, and demand answers.

* * *

Seth sat in the central computer room, a vast array of semi-futuristic technology and equipment at his disposal. Whether or not he'd utilize any of it was open to debate, but he did focus on a few tools in front of him. He had opened the curtains at the front of the room, watching as darkness fell. Eight PM came and with it, an angry storm cloud, expressing its distaste in claps of thunder. Seth could have opened some windows, but this would spell disaster for the equipment. He didn't particularly care of the devices, but he needed them, especially being this close to proving whether or not… _he_ was alive.

Tensions were building to say the least. He peered out into the dark sky, each bolt of silent lightning taking the edge off his nerves. Obsidian appreciated the joys of a good rain storm. He turned back to the monitors of the workstations, analyzing the readouts pouring over the screens in front of him. He'd annexed the computer room from anyone the moment they arrived home, isolating himself in the binary torrent of data. Starfire had immediately gone to her room, likely for a shower.

Cyborg had gone to do whatever Cyborg does and Raven had, much like Starfire, retreated for a shower. It was odd, Seth noted, that they decided to do this at exactly the same time. Robin on the other hand had simply left himself in the recreation room to ruminate over the day, which Obsidian decided not to let concern him. Seth paused, listening to some of his 'work music', as he liked to call it. Without it, he'd probably lose his mind (thought that may have already happened). He had appropriated the disc from Raven, seeing that she also had taste.

He assumed her leisure activities were devoid of entertainment, saved explicitly for prose and horror films. Regardless, it was something that Seth found rather interesting – all the more she seemed more and more like him. The album, issued on compact disc, was called Take A Look In the Mirror by the artist Korn. "Everything I've Known" was currently playing in the background, adding to the dark ambiance of the room. With that going, Seth looked over the computers and monitors, their foray of flashing buttons, then went to work.

Maybe this would give him something over Natas, though he wasn't exactly confident. He was sure, though, that the bastard was out there, somewhere, plotting pieces to an infernal chess game. He opened up the file that contained the videos from the warehouse security cameras, eyes focused on the images displaying before him. Camera One was selected first, Seth furling his brow as he studied the view that it gave. Not much happened, save for some plumes of smoke and the din of thermal scuffle in the background. _Time for the second camera._

Once again, a stuttering feed of Slade's robots shooting at some hidden assailant. The CCTV footage seemed to be endless. Seth cycled through the cameras until he finally came to the one that showed the room with a gaping hole in the wall, complimented by smoke and singed flesh. He started the footage at ten o'clock and watched from there, speeding through the frames. Slade's robots did the work that was assigned to them, lifting crates and working machinery and preparing the place for whatever it was Slade had had in mind for the warehouse. The footage had likely been swapped around, due to mislabeling or damage in the conflict.

Seth's mind wandered. Thoughts, visual and vivid, came to him. They were related to Raven and for the first time, Seth felt lust. Obsidian sighed, shaking the thoughts off. Lust – wonderful, but distracting, he thought. He moved onto something that would be less exciting. Robin's frustration with life had been amusing. He had been pursuing Slade doggedly for months now, possibly longer. The Titan's leader was obsessed with the mysterious being and now that he was dead, Seth felt a sort of grim satisfaction. He should have been grateful that Slade, his arch-nemesis was gone. On the other hand, someone else had done the job for him.

Slade, wiped out in a single instant, probably by a single blow, and all of his mysteries and motives and answers now lied with him in the ground. He was dead, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Seth turned his attention back to the matter at hand. What the hell had happened to Slade's hideout in the moments leading up to his demise? Natas was the only entity Seth feared on some level, if only because he could not kill Natas, no matter how hard he tried. The bastard was immune to weapons, melee attacks and anything else Seth had at his arsenal. There was an endless debate raging in his mind as to whether he had killed Natas or not, during the confrontation those many days ago.

Seth continued to watch the screen until noon rolled around. That was when it had happened: the anomaly that Slade had never planned for, something he did not and could not know about. There was an earth shattering explosion and the far wall was suddenly torn away. Dozens of robots came running from all sides, none of them holding weapons, all relying on their bare strength to do battle with this... _thing_ that had come to them. Seth watched as a dark figure came into the room through the hole. It was colored in shades of blackness and impossible shadows, except for two burning crimson eyes.

Wherever light hit the entity's body, it seemed to be deflected or absorbed, as if the presence of this thing made it flee. Reality lost coherence around its figure. The thing from beyond threw itself into combat without hesitation and maimed without slowing. Hundreds of robots came to meet it, but despite their best efforts and increasingly worried orders from Slade, they could not stand against the might of the shadow creature. Where it raised its arm, robots were sent flying, some decapitated by their own center of gravity.

Wherever it looked, they burst into flame. Wherever it whispered, they fell into shards. It was madness, insanity, and yet there it was as real as Seth's desire for Raven. The battle continued on, out of view and range of the camera. He paused the feed and looked up at the time counter. One minute. _That's all it took, remember?_

He switched over to the next camera and then moved up to where the last one had left off. Seth continued to watch the battle, the dark figure floating forward into the room as if mist on a placid, moonless lake. It continued to kill off every single guard that Slade sent after it and no matter how many came, they were all slaughtered horribly. Soon Slade ran out of defenders, their broken bodies laying scattered all around the floor, littering it with their bits and pieces, some large, some small and others indiscernible in their geometry. The figure from the shadows finally came to the security door.

It had been of thick metal, locked tightly and impossible to move if the person on the other side didn't want it to be. This was Slade's panic room.

Seth shook his head. _No escape. Sorry, Slade._

The figure gestured with one of its hands and the door was ripped off of the hinges and thrown back, tossed aside like the city's garbage. Slade cowered inside, clumsily holding a pistol in which he fired off every single round that was in the clip, foolishly hoping to defend himself. The bullets did no damage. The entity crept into the room, its eyes glowing hotter by the minute, viscous, crimson suns furious with heat. Slade had begged, on his knees, pissing himself. In a single lithe moment, a fraction of a blink, Slade's head was ripped away from his body, decapitated.

The screaming stopped. Blood splattered across the small security room, painting the walls in sloppy waves. Then it left the warehouse, vanishing. A long pause encompassed him.

There was no doubt.

He was back... Natas was back.

"Can't stay dead," Seth sat back.

They needed a plan, and they needed a plan _now._ Natas was invincible, or at least seemed like it. How would he explain it? How would he explain Natas and his history to the team? After a long, internal debate, Seth called the Titans for a meeting. A briefing, for better or worse, was necessary.

"This better be good," Robin scoffed, "because I have words for you."

Cyborg yawned. "This could be important."

"No, I'm in charge here-"

"Robin, shut your mouth. I don't have time for this right now, so close your lips and look at what I tell you to look at," Seth barked, the room quiet, "understood, Titan?"

Robin stood, his jaw agape.

"Good. Now that we're on the same page..." Seth didn't hesitate: he played the footage.

Seth played back Slade's final moments. There was a dead, cold silence once the scene faded from the screen.

"Oh my god," Starfire backed against the wall.

"So effortless. Like cutting butter," Raven crossed her arms.

"The hell! What the actual shit! Did you see it?! Game over man, game over!" Cyborg shouted, horrified.

Panic filled the room and soon, the arguing started.

"What, exactly, was that?" Robin asked calmly, quaking with fear.

Seth didn't reply. He pondered the implications of his actions previous to his arrival at the Titan Tower. What had he done? And behind him, Robin was fuming, staring at Seth's unresponsive back.

"Answer me you asshole!"


	9. The Lost Boy

**The Lost Boy**

Night fell quickly upon the city. Daylight had seemed afraid. Soon, only man made illumination fixtures lit the streets and buildings. Perhaps it was natural, then, that the blackness enveloped what little could be seen, hand in hand with some unseen presence. Seth stood at his windows, the curtains pulled aside and his hands clasped behind his back.

He was thinking. Brooding. The thoughts came to him with relentless worry. All the clues were pointing to the fact that Natas was alive.

 _But… how?_ _I got you… but I didn't see you die… you should have been dead…_ Seth had been certain, at least a few days ago, that he'd dispatched of the abomination. He should have known that even something like a power plant going critical and detonating would not kill such a horrid thing, even though the nearby animals and buildings were left to little more than ash.

All those lives wasted… Obsidian at the helm.

 _They were dead anyway. You know that. Get a grip._

Seth was suddenly yanked from his regret, a familiar knock on the door. It had to be Starfire. The perky girl had been making more visits as of late, though he couldn't put his finger on why.

"Come in," he took a breath, hiding his concern.

The door slid open, of course to reveal Starfire.

"What is it?" Seth asked, folding his arms.

"We are going out to eat dinner tomorrow in an attempt to calm down. Would you wish to join us?" Starfire's nervous blush was almost hidden by the dimmed room. Almost.

Seth considered the matter, wondering what good he could extract from it. He could take this time to study the city and its layout, perhaps plotting a solution to the problem known as Natas.

 _Learn the environment. Learn the layout. Survival depends on it. Right?_

He should have remembered the training first and foremost, but even that was beginning to slip.

"I will go," Seth finally replied.

"Okay, tomorrow, yes," Starfire smiled brightly, nodding to him and then leaving.

Seth turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Tomorrow," Seth leaned back, "just wish there was more time." Seth turned back to the windows, gazing out into the openness of the city.

* * *

He found Starfire waiting at the elevator, the door open. After a momentary exchange of glances, they both stepped into the lift and rode it down to the bottom floor. The other three Titans waited for them at the entrance, waiting to leave. Instead of driving, the five of them decided to walk. They left the tower, the door shutting and locking itself on Cyborg's command, and the group headed down the paved roadway that led into the city.

They were trying to relax. Well, as much as they could, especially after what the CCTV footage had revealed. Street lamps provided clicked on, the day turning to evening. Cars idled slowly by and people wandered around casually, errands to run and places to go, oblivious to the building tension. For the most part it was calm in the city, as if no one had any care in the world. Seth pondered this. Natas obviously had not begun to work his dark magic over the general populace of this city.

 _But when he does, it's going to be hell._

The Titans eventually reached their desired location, the same restaurant that they had visited before to eat. A small pizza place with umbrella covered tables on the first and second floor. The Titans entered through the front door and the staff all but fell over themselves to help out the famous teens. Soon they were all seated at a table on the second floor, light music playing to give the scene something of enjoyment and relaxation. There wasn't anyone else there except for them. The waiter quickly came and took their orders, then disappeared back into the shop.

Starfire, Robin and Cyborg, had agreed on a large pepperoni and Italian sausage pizza. Raven tolerated this and joined the fine dining. Seth sat at the end of the table, watching as the four teens talked among themselves. They spoke as if there was not a care in the world, as if nothing mattered. And for a moment, just a moment, Seth envied them. They had some sense of meaning in life, their own destinies and purposes. He only lived for one reason, and one reason period. Natas Black, somewhere, waited for him.

A few leaves rolled along the ground, chased by empty bags. _Something else is chasing you, isn't it, Seth?_ He tried to ignore his inner critic, but something was wrong. He could feel it. This wasn't Natas, it was –

Seth looked up suddenly as something disturbed the quiet. He stood, slipping his hands into his trench coat and over the grips of the pistols.

"Don't even think about it," spoke a voice from the shadows.

The Titans looked up in surprise, first at Seth, then at the approaching figures. Twenty six men, acting as one lurking shadow, dressed in dark suits and wearing brand named sunglasses, stepped out from various spots around them. All of them carried pistol-grip shotguns, each a dark carbon, despite the darkness. Their barrels pointed strictly on Seth, none flinching. He could feel the sight's against the back of his head like lasers, burning into his skull.

"We've got you now, Project Obsidian," one man, obviously the leader of this dickless bunch, boasted.

Seth turned and looked at the other Titans. He didn't want anyone else getting hurt because of his mistakes. "Leave, lest you're shot and killed," Seth stated.

The Titans looked around at the men, then back at Seth, and quietly dispersed. The dark suited spooks ignored the fleeing Titans, their sights set on only Seth.

"Do you know how many of your kind I have killed? How many people's lives I've taken? How many have died coming after me? Dozens. Hundreds. How many of you are there? Why can't you leave me alone? Pests. You are like cockroaches, impossible to get rid of," Seth said, "I will kill you all."

The leader wavered, looking uncertain for the first time since his initial appearance. "I've got two dozen men, Obsidian. You're just one punk kid with a complex."

Seth ripped his pistols out of his trench coat and threw himself into combat. He fired off a dozen rounds, all direct hits. The men cried out momentarily and fell to the ground, blood splattering along the nearby walls and sidewalk. _Ten head shots, two chest wounds – so far, so good, only another dozen or more to go._

"Take him down!" someone cried from the mass of assassins.

He glanced down at his dual pistols. _Shit._ He abandoned them, not having enough time to reload them, and rolled to his feet. A few had already fired and missed, shooting at where he had been just an instant before. He leaped at the nearest government agent feet first, his feet landing squarely in the man's chest, his rib cage caving in from the immense blow. Two shots guns pressed against his head, Seth still regaining his composure.

He brought both hands up, flat, palm facing forward, at the same time and hit both barrels with the back of his hands.

The guns were ripped from the grips of their previous owners and reversed back into their faces. Seth grabbed both handles and paused, his fingers on the triggers. Both men were staring down the barrel of their own shotguns.

"Oh god, oh god!" the first man exclaimed, all but pissing himself.

"FUCK!" the other screamed.

Seth fired. There was a sickening sound as both them men's heads exploded at once, a fine crimson mist mixed in with bloody chunks of brain tissue and bone fragments dousing Obsidian as quickly as he'd pulled the triggers. He grabbed the the two shotguns, turning them on the groups' leader, the barrels still smoking.

"Shit! Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!" the leader screamed frantically, and then Seth put a large hole in his chest.

He abandoned the shotguns and threw himself to his side again as the men fired. Pain shot through his side. _DAMN IT!_ One of them got lucky and managed to clip Seth, tearing away a chunk of skin and part of his rib cage. He didn't miss a beat. Seth rolled once again, got to his feet, extracted his knife and went right back to work. He spun around as a man came to meet him and slammed the knife into his eye, the blade stuck in the socket.

"Got you!" another agent growled, running toward Seth, "got you without your blade!"

Seth abandoned the effort of pulling it out. There were more pressing matters at hand, like the agent that was a second or two away from blowing his skull off. Seth knelt, tripping the hapless assassin. The agent gathered his sense, staring up at Seth. His eyes widened as he scream, Obsidian's hand clasping around his neck. _Twist._ The agent's neck snapped, disc fragments and tissue spilling out beneath Seth's expertly placed grip.

He flung the blood of his hand with a flick of the wrist, slowly standing, clutching his left side. Stumbling, he made his way back home, picking up his pistols and knife along the way.


	10. Reprise & Explanations

**Reprise & Explanations**

Seth made it back to Titan Tower quick enough, though he wondered if he'd been followed. It wouldn't surprise him. Wrapped in his bloodstained trench coat, he fled, his destination being the only home he'd known in the past several weeks. Nobody gave him much quarrel seeing that one, he was a Titan, and two, there was something obviously wrong with him due to the fact that there was so much miscellaneous blood and gore painted on his coat.

He looked forward, his vision dazed. Ahead, the paved roadway that led to the Tower beckoned him in all its asphalt glory. An angry storm grew in intensity above, Seth trying to shuffle forward as quickly as he could. Seconds passed and the water began to fall. In torrents and sheets it came, making the journey all the more difficult for him. But he had seen worse, much worse, and a mere shotgun blast to the torso and some rain was not going to stop him from reaching his destination.

Seth could already feel the healing agents that ran through his bloodstream working feverishly to repair the damage that had been done. With each cell nourished and rejuvenated, he approached. Eventually, Seth arrived at the entrance of the Titan Tower. He punch the access pad that allowed him entrance and the door slid open, taking no moment to spare. Seth stalked into the main entrance hallway and over to the elevator, nearly healed. A gasp of air and a deep exhale and the wound was gone. The Titans would likely be in the rec room, if he'd learned anything about how the teens handled their spare time. He paced into the elevator, dialing in the floor number. A moment later and the doors slid open to reveal a familiar, short hallway.

Seth quickly made his towards the room and when he entered, the Titans turned to stare at him.

Robin didn't waste any time in gathering answers. "What the hell is going on?"

Blood splattered his trench coat, hands and face, now on display in the bright, unforgiving light of the Titan Tower. Seth walked over to one of the chairs in the room and sat down, panting softly. Rapid rejuvenation took it out of him every time, but at least it was temporary.

"I suppose it's about time I let you know. One of you might pay attention," Seth said, glancing at Raven.

"Don't give me that crap," Robin pointed a finger at him, "how about you tell me everything or-"

"Or I break your finger into little pieces and ship it around the city?" Seth's cold gaze transfixed itself onto Robin's eyes.

Starfire giggled.

"Look Robin," Seth sighed, "I know, you're in charge, right? You're not in charge of what's here, what's coming – so instead of waving your dick around, how about you sit down and listen."

"Well-"

Cyborg nudged him, "You should probably shut up."

Robin fell silent, murmuring beneath his breath.

"Now that that's done with," Seth exhaled, "I suppose I should begin. It all started back when I was born My mother contracted a sickness, I hear, and died when I was around a year old. My father could not live with the grief and committed suicide a year later. I was sent to an orphanage, and not even a year after that, me and a few others were snatched up by the government. They experimented on us, trying out new procedures and biologically altering things, using genetics and whatnot. I was the only survivor of the whole thing. For years, as I grew, so did my… gifts. I became stronger, faster, smarter, but I also gained other abilities. My senses sharpened. I had chemicals inserted into my bloodstream to repair any damage done to me. By the time I was ten, I was stronger than most men and had seen more combat than most soldiers. But I learned something... I learned that they planned to use me as a weapon.

So I killed them. All of them. Then I went underground and a couple years later I arrived in Grant City. The police saw me for my worth, eventually. Since life was difficult I had to resort to violence and stealing. The police caught me one day and offered a deal once they saw my abilities. Food, shelter and clothing if I helped them out with the toughest of criminals.

Seeing the advantage, I agreed. For two years, I tracked down their worst criminals in the city and murdered them all. Wasn't anyone left to kill after I'd gone to town for a few months. So when a series of murders began to occur, I was called in. There had been ten so far, all exactly the same, all in the slums of the city. The bodies… decapitated by brute force, spinal column and all. I searched and searched for clues, but none could never be found.

No hair, no blood, no DNA samples, no fingerprints. It was mind boggling. Finally, about a month ago, I discovered some of what was going on. I was investigating another murder in the slums when I was confronted..."

Seth went quiet.

"By what?" Robin asked.

"He was tall, buff, perfectly groomed blond hair and icy, clear blue eyes. He wore a really expensive suit and spoke in a deep, rolling voice. He was perfect. Frighteningly perfect. He explained to me what exactly he was, and the nature of the murders. He wasn't form Earth, but somewhere else… sent from long ago. Centuries, eons, ages, I don't know. It could have been since the dawn of time itself. I have no idea. But he asked me strange questions, like, why was I here? Why was I in Grant City, doing such pathetic work? Why had I not come to him yet?

I didn't know what he was talking about. He spoke like he knew me. Of course, I did not believe him at first, when he me he was a demon, or something like it. I attempted to arrest him, but the man simply disappeared into thin air. Natas Black was his name. I became obsessed with finding this Natas Black. I searched everywhere: newspapers, birth records, police records, but everywhere I looked, it became painfully clear. Natas Black did not exist. There were no traces of him, which should have been impossible being in this day and age. No fingerprints, DNA, birth records, nothing. I'd given up. It only made sense then that things changed. He confronted me. I shot him, I stabbed him, I threw a grenade at him, I managed to throw him onto some electrical wires, I got some arsenic into his system through the tip of a knife, but he wouldn't die/ More importantly, it seemed to be doing little, if any, damage to him at all. He grew tired of it, I guess, and transformed into something else. Something I can't describe, even if I wanted to. What you saw in the warehouse was just one of his many forms.

"I quickly recovered and began my search again, even harder than last time. But something was happening... the city... was destroying itself. Consuming itself. The crime rate soared. It seemed that everyone wanted to kill, rape or steal, sometimes all of the above. The cops were doing everything they could, but it was madness. Eventually I found out that all along, I had been playing into his plans by searching for him. So, I did something out of the ordinary, something not expected. Something I regret. The city ran on a very powerful, very large power plant. The place was going to shit anyway, so I set the reactor to overload and got the hell out of there. I thought I had killed him once and for all, but it seems that I did not.

I wasted all of those lives, for nothing. Part of me wants to believe that those… people, whatever they were after Natas had his way with them, were beyond saving. Another part of me doesn't believe that. I get to live with it every day... And that's my story," Seth fell silent, looking down at his hands.

No one uttered a word as Obsidian gazed into what appeared to be nothing. "Natas Black is beyond good and evil. This city is going to start ripping itself apart minute by the minute now. I saw what was left of one of the outskirts, perhaps in a vision – not sure which. It's starting any by the end of the week, this place will be a mecca of evil."

"That explains a lot," Starfire sighed.

"What do you mean?" Cyborg scratched his chin.

She shrugged. "I guess Natas can influence people, yes Seth?"

"Yes and I'm sure it's already started in each and every one of you," he sighed.

"Well, I don't believe it," Robin scoffed.

"I really don't give a shit," Seth replied as he got to his feet and headed out of the room.

The others started in on some heated debate. Seth had already made his speech – he was done talking for the night. Now, he was going to have to find a way to kill Natas Black all over again. He returned to his room, to ponder and research the city some more. Seth stopped at the opening of his door, staring. A medium sized black cat lay sprawled out on the edge of his bed. His cluttered noises and clumsy use of the door must have woken it from its sleep; it looked around slowly, as if confused somehow, then looked quizzically up at Seth. The small, furry animal meowed once in a rather unique tone then slid back into sleep. He saw a collar, looking at the name inscribed upon its tag.

There was just one word embossed on the metal piece: **Myrlan**. _Where in the hell did this come from?_ He paused, trying to connect the dots on how a black cat wound up in his room. Perhaps it was from the other day when he'd been roaming the streets, though it could have been one of the Titans' pets. He sighed, slouching onto the bed. The cat purred, ignoring his motions. He closed his eyes and put his face into his palms, groaning.

Down the hall, he could hear the Titans arguing.


	11. The Search

**The Search**

There was a page over the intercom. "Seth, it's Robin. We're going after Natas. Are you ready?"

Seth slowly sat up, glancing around his room. "As ready as I'll ever be."

The comms unit clicked off, Obsidian taking the time to sort through some fresh clothes before finally readying his weapons. He went down in the elevator, cracking his neck. When the doors opened he made his way forward to the front entrance, where the other four Teen Titans were preparing for battle.

"How are we going to do this?" Robin asked Seth.

Seth rubbed his forehead. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"I've got the industrial sector," Cyborg said after running a systems check.

"Inner city for me," Robin said, making sure all of his stuff was in place.

"I will do a fly over the docks and warehouses." Starfire stated, tugging at her clothing.

"I'll float then," Raven finished adjusting her gear. For a moment, they glanced at each other, Seth feeling the lust in his gut again.

"I'll take the slums," Seth said, knowing that that was where Natas would likely be hiding.

Robin issued ear pieces to each Titan, everyone checking their signals. After approving the radio clarity, they were off. They split up over the city, searching. In time, Natas would reveal himself, though he'd likely try and do some damage along the way. Seth had a moment where, for whatever reason, he felt out of character. He pulled Robin aside, gripping his shoulder. The leader stopped, confused and aggravated. They stared for a moment, gazes locked, Robin realizing that Seth Obsidian's focus was not to challenge his authority, but to tell him something important.

"Robin," Seth said, the others already filtering out of the area, "be careful. This thing… it doesn't have any sort of rules or principles. It will do what it wants."

Robin nodded, Seth slowly letting go.

"Okay," and for the first time, Robin sounded like he was agreeing with him.

* * *

An hour later, the Teen Titans were having no luck at all. Cyborg had searched all over the industrial sector, looking in every single place that he could. The others had been doing this, turning up nothing. Natas was playing games, moving them around like chess pieces. This competition, as it were, could tip in Natas's favor in a second. He had went over to help Starfire at the docks, the story the same. Empty bags floated aimlessly around, tumbling beneath their near weightless plasticity. Above, the sky had darkened, bathing the landscape in shadows. They had finished up the search there and then had gone to help out Robin, since the inner city was the largest part of them all.

They hadn't heard from him, likely because he hadn't found anything useful. Jump City had been annihilating itself; with so many people dead and so much chaos, things were beginning to resemble his nightmares.

"Anything?" Starfire chimed in over the radio to Robin.

"Zero."

Natas Black loved teasing in the worst ways, milking it for all its worth. Seth was thoroughly searching the slums of the inner most city, hoping to turn up at least a clue. Seth made his standard check, they had notification, waiting for a response. They had agreed to contact each other very fifteen minutes, even if it just meant confirming their status as alive. He continued his search. Obsidian was currently in an abandoned, burnt out old apartment building painted in ash and char. The windows had been broken out and the place had been gutted, but the general structure of the building was still safe enough. There were signs of recent use; trash cans with smoldering remains in them, heaps and piles of pillows and blankets, puddles of urine and alcohol bottles scattered on the floor. Though it seemed recent, there was no one around; everyone who had previously occupied the area was probably out looting and pillaging by now.

The radio clicked on, laced with anxiety and distress. Robin came onto the headset channel, frantic. He was under attack.

"Help! It's Natas!" Robin screamed, "I can't hold him down… he-"

A sudden cry of pain burst through the channel, followed by demented laugh.

"Robin! Where are you?!" Starfire cried.

"Behind… old..." Robin crackled through the radio waves, exploding with a cry of agony and pain.

Seth knew where the was. He had memorized the city inside and out from all his studies of the detailed maps, piecing together the location. It was less than an eighth of a mile away from his current location. Seth turned, running forward. If the leader were still breathing and Natas still maintained his presence on Earth, Robin would be permanently plagued by visions of whatever the demon felt like.

 _If only that were the worst case scenario._ Seth bemoaned to himself, picking up pace. Ahead, the fire station approached.

* * *

Seth and the other two Titans gathered around a bloody, sobbing heap of clothing and human on the ground that was Robin. He was passed out, almost, and bleeding from over a dozen different wounds. Natas was nowhere to be seen.

"We must get him back to the Tower!" Starfire shouted, panicked.

Cyborg slid his hands and arms beneath the wounded leader, holding him as he continued to bleed.

"What about a hospital?" Seth asked, knowing that an emergency room was closer to them than the Tower was.

"No, we've got top of the line medical supplies there and Raven is an excellent medic," Cyborg replied.

He handed Robin over to Starfire, who picked him gently up and began to flying back towards the tower. Cyborg turned to leave, but then paused as he saw Seth lingering.

"What is it?" he asked.

Seth nodded in the direction of the back wall to the old fire station, and there, on the wall, words had been burned into the concrete.

" _I know what you are."_

Seth spat at the wall and stalked off. Cyborg lingered a moment, then hurried after him, the feeling of being watched growing exponentially.

* * *

Seth stalked blindly around the tower. Natas was back and more powerful than ever. Currently, there was nothing Seth could do besides regret ever being brought into life. Robin was passed out in the infirmary, Raven was locked away in her room, doing research after tending to him. It would appear that Robin would live after all. Starfire and Cyborg were out in the city doing what they could to clean up the mess that Natas was currently in the process of making. The two were going as fast as they could all across the city, going to the worst trouble spots in attempts to reduce the destruction.

They could only be in so many places at once. Assailants usually gave up or ran away rather than fight two of the most powerful people within the city. It wasn't getting any better, though. The city was tearing itself apart through sheer chaos and force. Seth finally stopped his roaming and came into the rec room, following the sound of a drone of voices. The TV was on. Cyborg and Starfire sat slumped in two of the most comfortable chairs that occupied the room, covered in dirt and grime complimented by a slew of scuffs and bruises. Seth stood in the doorway, unnoticed for a brief second, and watched the TV.

"Back so soon?" Obsidian asked.

Starfire stood. "How is our Robin?"

"He'll live," Seth sighed, "the best he can after this, anyway."

A female reporter stood in the street, trying to abide by the rules of journalism as the city collapsed around her.

" _As you can see here, crime rates are soaring. The police force, fire fighters and medics are doing what they can to cope with the situation, but half of these people are fighting against them. It's complete chaos out here."_

There were some cops around, firing into a crowd of rioters with cans of sleeping gas and tasers, ignorant to how little it was doing. In the background, a man was shaking his head in all directions, spraying blood from his facial pores. There were others, at various places on the screen, doing the same thing. A pedestrian came running out of a building on fire, screaming at the top of his lungs. Another man was being held by the arms, slowly pulled apart by two other goons foaming at the mouth. A car suddenly exploded across the street. A piece of scrap metal came flying through the air and decapitated the reporter. Her gore splattered all over the screen, sirens whining in the distance. It appeared that there was no delay; there was another explosion, followed by a rather loud scream, some gunfire, and then the screen turned to fuzz.

The scene quickly changed back to the TV studio where two anchors were talking rapidly.

" _Casualties are reported in the hundreds, now._ _D_ _amage is unknown... it could be in the billions for all we know,"_ he stated, voice fragmented and horrified.

Seth turned his attention away from the TV as Robin came into the rec room through another entrance.

"What's going on?" he asked, wrapped up in bandages and clutching the wound on his side.

"Robin!" Starfire wrapped herself around him, sobbing.

"I'm fine Star," he let her release him, pacing closer to the TV.

"Take a look for yourself," Cyborg replied.

He muted the broadcast and pointed over to the window.

Seth watched as Robin hobbled over to the window and looked out. "Well shit! Why aren't we out there!? They're peeling themselves apart!" he cried.

"What do you think we've been doing!?" Cyborg screamed in reply.

Robin studied him, Cyborg's armor caked with dried blood and burnt in places. Star saw the same damage; her clothing was torn and her hair was partially burnt off.

"Sorry," Robin said quietly.

"I've never seen… a woman of Earth… pull herself inside out," Starfire's gaze was fixed somewhere in the room, looking down.

"I know, me too. It's just… this is unimaginable," Cyborg replied.

There was a long silence that reigned over the rec room. "It's Natas," Seth finally said from the back of the room.

"What do you mean?" Cyborg asked.

"It's Natas, working his dark evil, his horrible magic. He infects the minds of his prey and forces them to do his bidding, sometimes to themselves. Not because he has to, not because it's his task, it's because it gives him pleasure in doing so," Seth said, staring out the window over the city.

"Well, we've got to stop him!" Robin cried.

"Think you can?" Seth replied.

Robin fell silent, remembering what had happened to him last time he had had a run in with Natas Black. "I want to go after him again," Seth said finally, "I want to test something out."

"What?" Robin replied.

"Well, he seems to come under damage when new weapons attack him. I found this out when I shot him. For a while, it damaged him, then it stunned him, then it just did nothing to him. So, maybe Starfire's energy and Cyborg's plasma weapons might do some damage to him. I want to find out, it might help us. Raven might be our out, anyway," Seth explained.

"What exactly is Raven's great out?" Robin asked.

"You can't kill something that's not alive, right? But maybe you can trap it," Seth said.

"What do you mean?"

Seth took a breath. "You can't kill it, him. Raven has access to different dimensions through her powers, right?"

Cyborg nodded. "Yeah. Her dad's out in there somewhere, I think. Or maybe, I'm not sure how it works. Where is she anyway?"

Seth stretched. "She took off to her room, probably researching. I don't know. We can at least test some of the theory."

"Fine, do what you will," Robin slumped back against the wall, "I thought I was in charge here, but whatever".

"Seems like a good and simple enough plan. If there's a chance we can hurt this Natas Black, then we must take the chance," Starfire replied.

"Yeah, what she said," Cyborg said. "You in or out?" he asked.

Seth folded his arms. "I'm not stepping on your toes anymore. Promise. If we don't do something soon, everything you've ever known will a memory, if you're alive to remember it, which you probably won't be. Take your chances."

"I'll go," Robin replied.

* * *

Seth, Cyborg, Starfire and Robin came onto a vacant parking lot in the middle of the slums. Burnt out old apartment buildings lined the rim of the cement cracked parking lot. The skeletal remains of what was once a health center stood, gutted. Loose pieces of trash blew in the slight wind. The four stood still and in the silence, they listened... they waited. Then they came, but not who the they had expected. At least thirty more dark suited men came stepping out from various hidden spots among the buildings and other areas. They all held sub-machine guns this time, wearing sunglasses in the twilight. Slowly, they formed a circle around the group, cutting off any avenue of escape.

"Nowhere to go this time, Obsidian." one man said, stepping forward.

"We have you, and don't even thin-" his words were suddenly cut off as a bladed disc came out of nowhere and sliced neatly through his neck.

The head fell off, a surprised look on the face, bounced a few times and rolled away. The headless body took a few awkward steps, blood spurting like a fountain out of the stump and then fell over. All eyes shifted to one shadow as someone stepped out of it and into the light. The man was over six feet tall and extremely muscular, almost grossly so. His platinum blond hair was slicked back perfectly, his icy blue eyes gleaming with intelligence. His face was clean cut and perfectly unblemished. To complete that horribly perfect complexion, there was a smile that showed his immaculately white and even teeth. His clothing was impeccable: a dark black Italian suit, the kind that only the richest of businessmen wore.

"Good evening, old friend," the man said in a deep, rolling, rich voice, looking directly at Seth.

"Nice to see you again, _**Natas**_ ," Seth readied his knife.

"You are interfering with a government investigation," another dark suited man said, stepping forward, "you must leave now or face very heavy consequences."

The man was about to say something else, but Natas turned and looked at him.

"I now give you all the chance to leave this place. If you do not within ten of your human seconds, then I will be forced to drag each one of you, alive, down to the darkest pits of hell," Natas Black finished in a disgustingly calm, level and even cheery, voice.

The man seemed to ponder this comment for a moment, then opened his mouth to say something in response. Natas raised his arms, smirking wide. The ground cracked and broke underneath the remaining men, tendrils of smoke and horror wrapping around their ankles, waists and arms. They cried out as burning, decaying arms came up out of the ground and began ripping them downward. Colored flames licked up out of the ground and scorched the proximity. The men fired at the arms in vain; there was simply nothing that could save them now, not even a change of heart from the demon orchestrating the execution. Slowly, the screams were silenced and nothing was left but the howling of the wind. Then the Titans attacked, hesitating no further. Starfire and Cyborg nailed Natas's chest and torso with their powers.

It seemed like it affected him, but as the smoke cleared Natas was still standing there, laughing. His form suddenly began to change. The transformation had begun, Seth knew. He was at least twenty feet tall now, long claws extending from his digits. His mouth was stuffed full of more than razor sharp teeth, a long, torn cape, somehow part of his flesh, flowing in the wind. Then, he attacked. A long arm suddenly lashed out and swatted at Robin. He was sent flying across the parking lot, knocked out cold.

Natas lashed out again, Seth narrowly avoiding the blow.

"Come here, my boy," Natas moaned sensually.

"Why don't you take me down to hell too, huh?" Seth spat.

Natas laughed. "I couldn't if I wanted to!"

Cyborg and Starfire attacked again, blowing holes in the frame of the demon. He roared in pain and jutted his arm out again, this time hitting Starfire out of the air.

"Retreat!" Seth yelled.

Cyborg kept Natas's attention with constant fire from his plasma cannon while Starfire picked up Robin's unconscious form and flew off, blood running down her back. Cyborg, satisfied with his charade, turned and ran. Natas had eyes only for Seth now, furious and hungry. Obsidian had already left though, evading Natas yet again. Seth hopped up onto the second story of the gutted apartment building and disappeared into the darkness.

"No! Face me! Coward!" Natas bellowed, cracking the foundation of nearby apartments.


	12. Two Executions

**Two Executions**

Seth groaned in pain, something he did not regularly do. He tried to remember what happened, where he was, and what he was doing there. After moments of pressing, it all came back to him in a rush: he was just running away from Natas. Apparently, Natas didn't like being ignored, which he made painfully clear. It was a logical choice; Seth had gathered enough information on the creature, plus he knew that he would surely die if he fought Natas now. Odds were he'd probably die later tonight anyway, but he kept that to himself. He kept running, the thoughts still burning in his mind. During his act of futility, it fell apart – the apartment complex, empty and barren, had collapsed beneath him.

Mortared bricks came crashing down onto Seth's torso, then another hit him on the head with enough force that he blacked out. So, that answered one of the questions… now, where was he? Seth opened his eyes and bright, titanium light came exploding into his vision. He pushed the pain of both the wounds and the excruciating light from his senses, slowly sitting up. A sheet that covered his bare, pale chest fell to the ground.

He was in the Titan Tower's infirmary. Seth tore away the rest of the blankets and looked down at his chest, most of it wrapped in blood soaked bandages. The fluid had turned a dead, brown color, his body in the process of quickly healing his injuries. He peeled one of the bandages and saw what he expected to see: nearly perfectly unblemished skin. Seth glanced across the room, a figure hunched over a nearby desk. It was Raven, passed out on the flat surface, her cloak covering her. Seth swung his feet over the side of the examination table, standing up. They had only taken off his trench coat and shirt, nothing else. He wondered what condition the battered old coat was in; it had been his favorite for a long, long time.

It lay folded carefully on the counter next to the examination table, along with his shirt. Both items had been repaired, for whatever reason, and now held a sort of newness to them. Seth was just pulling on the trench coat when Raven awoke.

"I took the liberty of cleaning and repairing it myself."

"Thanks," Seth replied quietly, "have you found anything? What are the others doing right now?" he asked, indicating the notebooks and ancient papers after a bit of silence had passed.

"They ran, too. Your test proved useful. And yes, I believe that I have a plan to get rid of Natas Black once and for all," Raven said. She began to look over the papers again.

"Explain?"

"It's pretty simple. I've found an old spell that can capture him, send him back to wherever the hell he came from for a very, very long time. The only problem is, it takes about ten minutes to conjure up. So… we'll need to hold his attention for ten minutes while I chant up the spell," Raven explained.

"Something tells me that won't be very hard," Seth brushed his fingers over the new scars on his torso.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"I've found a way to at least stun Natas for a time. Plasma; it's a completely new form of weaponry that he has not encountered before. It takes him about several battles to get used to a new weapon, from what I've seen. There's only been one battle, so if me and Cyborg can construct a few more compact plasma cannons, we'll be in some business. I'll have to arm myself with a few, so will Robin. That little stick of his ain't worth shit against him," Seth explained.

"Understood. Let's go," Raven gathered up her things and then they both left the infirmary and headed down the hallway.

"How long was I out?" Seth asked.

"About ten hours. Starfire has been resting, Robin has been trying to go out and do battle but Starfire won't let him. Cyborg has been fighting the battle out there when he can, but we're all worn out. I even pitched in when I wasn't busy searching for a solution," Raven replied.

"Everyone will need to be in top shape for this," Seth said.

Raven nodded as they entered the rec room. Starfire was lounging in one of the chairs, Robin sitting upright in another one, very tense. Cyborg looked like he had just come back himself, bruised and bloodied. Raven made her way into the center of the room and explained her plan to rid Jump City of Natas. Robin liked it a lot, happy to finally be doing some real work.

Robin turned to face everyone. "Titans, this is going to be our hardest battle yet."

"Not of all us may make it back," Seth said, "maybe all of us."

"Until the end, right?" Cyborg gave a thumbs up.

Starfire nodded. "Let's put this Natas Black back to where he crawled from."

Starfire, for the most part, had recovered from any injuries she had and was ready to go back into action.

For the next two hours or so Seth and the team collected components, ammo, extra parts, tools and schematics for Cyborg's plasma cannon, constructed improved hand held plasma cannons and a few grenades. He made six plasma cannons total—three for him and three for Robin since Cyborg already had one. Raven was not going to fight, instead working on her incantation and Starfire had her powers which were close enough to plasma anyway. He divided up the eight plasma grenades, two for each of them excluding Raven once again. Finally, after hours time of preparation, everyone was ready.

* * *

The five flew over what once was their city. Jump City was a writhing mass of chaos, torture and crime. A lot more of it was on fire now, most left to rubble and ash. Those who had some sense in them were fleeing the city any way possible, by air or sea or land. Once again, the group set down in some abandoned parking lot in the slums, the smoke putrid in the air with the stench of decaying flesh.

"Do we look for him?" Robin asked.

Seth shook his head. "He'll come to us. To me."

"Sync watches," Cyborg said.

Within a few minutes, Natas showed up, arrogantly addressing Seth. Raven had already slipped into the shadows, ready to begin her chanting once the battle had begun.

"Good to see you once again, friend," Natas said with a large smile on his face.

"You bastard, how can you call my your friend?" Seth replied.

And for the first time ever, the look on Natas's face changed to that of confusion.

"Can you say that you honestly do not remember me?" Natas asked.

"Yeah, I remember you, back in Grant City. Where I blew up the power plant to kill you, but still you lived," Seth replied.

"So, you do not remember," Natas concluded, "has your genetic tampering really repressed your memories that much?"

Everyone turned to look at Seth, confused as much as Natas was. "What are you talking about?" Seth asked.

"Come on dear boy, we share a lot in common," Natas's nails grew long, dripping with venom and fog.

"You're bullshitting," Seth primed a plasma grenade.

Natas laughed. "Oh Obsidian, how could you forget?"

"I'm getting rid of you tonight, amnesia or not," Seth's plasma grenade whirred, ready to be used.

"Oh," Natas seemed somewhat heart broken, "you really want me to go?"

"You're not coming back," Seth growled.

"Fine. Enough talk, let us get this measly battle over with so I can get back to destroying your precious city, and then the next one, and the next one," Natas said, the smile returning to his face.

He opened his mouth impossibly wide, something like a howl exiting from his inhuman lips. It reverberated across the slums, shaking dust from fixtures and doors. He began to change – twist and transform into something much more powerful than the sum of its parts. He was twice his size in height. Seth looked back at Raven, who nodded and began her chanting. It was quiet, but just loud enough to conjure up the spell. _As long as you don't notice, you demon scum._

"Light him up!" Robin commanded.

Then the battle began; everyone opened up with whatever form of powers they had, hoping to keep him at bay. Starfire rose up above Natas and rained down powerful alien energy, furious with each of her projectiles. Seth, Cyborg and Robin all fired upon various parts of Natas's massive form, doing lots of damage and blowing holes through his body. Seth's grenade landed next to him, igniting in a flash of neon heat. He cried out angrily and lashed out, Starfire dodging his attacks the best she could as the others battered Natas with the plasma.

Natas nearly lost his composure and balance, slowing. He stopped, taking a breath, picking up the remains of the plasma grenade. A smug grin pierced his perfect face. "A toy?"

"Out of breath?" Seth taunted him, shooting another round of plasma into his gut.

Natas retaliated, bringing his hand down on the Titans. They scattered, but not nearly quick enough. The ground shook violently and cracked, Robin knocked off his feet and Cyborg thrown violently into a brick wall that crumbled under the impact. He slowly got back to his feet, throwing the bricks off of himself. Robin recouped himself, then primed another one of the plasma grenades. He tossed it as hard as he could, the thing attaching itself to Natas's chest with an adhesive agent that Seth had applied around the outer perimeter of the grenade. Natas cried out angrily and tried to get the grenade off, but still it remained in place, then exploded. He was thrown off balance for another second, a jagged hole quickly healing in his chest.

Seth could already see the healing process accelerate through some dark magic, growing exponentially. Seth checked his watch, which he had appropriated and started a ten minute countdown.

 _Shi_ _t._

If anything, Natas was adapting faster. Nearly five minutes remained.

"How much time?" Robin shouted over the headset.

"Five minutes, maybe six, tops!"

Cyborg scoffed. "May as well be eternity!"

Seth cursed angrily and fired until the power reserves of his first plasma cannon ran dry, holding back his panic. He discarded the empty gun and pulled out another one, then began firing again. Seth married the blasts of plasma fire with a grenade, throwing it at Natas. It attached to his leg and exploded. He howled loudly in pain, his reconstitution growing ever faster. Seth and the other continued their attack. Natas swatted sideways with his massive hand. Robin was in the middle of throwing his second grenade; he had just gotten it into the air when the swipe hit him.

It sent him flying. He nailed the nearby concrete wall, falling to the ground. The impact had either killed him or knocked him unconscious. Starfire was up above, skirting beneath cloud, always just out of reach of Natas's deadly attacks. She saw Robin's still form and for just a second was distracted. This was all the demon needed. He swatted her out of the sky like a fly, annoyed by her buzzing. She cried out and was sent diving towards the ground below. She landed in a dumpster, in the same plot of slums as Robin.

"Just you and me," Cyborg said.

Seth nodded. They both continued their attacks, bombarding Natas with a multitude of plasma bolts.

"Two minutes!" Seth shouted, diving behind a slew of fixtures and walls.

Not much left to go, but they had to keep Natas distracted for a just a little while longer. The battle continued onward, not ceasing for a moment. Seth could almost hear Raven chanting now. _I hope that means you're close._

Seth depleted his second plasma cannon, threw it to the ground and extracted the very last weapon. He didn't know how long it'd last, but hopefully it would be long enough. Cyborg was pushing himself to the limits too, low on energy. He was dodging attacks and putting real, brute force behind the plasma assaults. Seth threw his last plasma grenade; it stuck itself to Natas's face and exploded. He cried like some horrible beast in pain, caught in metal teeth. Obsidian checked his ammo. It was about half way depleted, possibly less. Seth began to walk backwards, firing as fast as he could to keep Natas occupied.

He quickly reached Robin, knelt down and snatched up the gun. He held it in the other hand and fired them both. Quickly he checked his watch. 48 seconds.

Seth watched as Cyborg threw one last plasma grenade, this time not seeming to do much damage Natas. Seth's primary gun ran out of energy and refused to fire anymore. In the background, Raven was chanting louder still, almost ready to use the archaic spell. It seemed that Natas heard her too, shouting in madness and rage.

"I've had enough of your toys and nursery rhymes!" he frantically began to look for her as slowly, darkness began to form.

30 seconds.

Raven could be heard throughout the parking lot, nearing completion. Natas screamed again and began to tear the place down around him, as the counter broke twenty seconds Raven made herself visible. She was all but screaming the chant now, the air behind Natas slowly began to swirl, growing inhumanly dark and inviting. Streetlights all around them exploded and died, sending showers of sparks over the landscape. The entire area began to rumble. The portal to hell, or some place like it, was opening, demanding a passenger to come through. The screams of the damned and the flames of Oblivion shot out of the doorway. Starfire was safely hidden in the dumpster and Robin was anchored underneath a ton of rubble, his breath shallow… but alive.

Cyborg ran to one of the nearby buildings, trying to make his way to Robin and Starfire. He shielded them as the tear between worlds widened.

"Shit!" Seth's last weapon ran out of energy and became useless, Obsidian throwing it to the ground.

The portal was fully open now, things rolling into its cyclone of space. Raven threw herself behind an outcrop of the building's exterior, bracing herself as the portal's vacuum became overwhelming.

"NO! I WILL NOT GO BACK!" Natas bellowed.

"Send a postcard, fucker," Seth muttered, fighting the suction of the portal.

" _OBSIDIAN!_ " Natas lashed out, inhumanly fast and caught Seth in the torso.

The blades of his fingers pierced Seth in the stomach and upper chest, effectively disemboweling him. Before Natas could deliver a final blow, the many hands and tongues of the damned restrained him. Natas howled with rage, rocking the entirety of the area. Buildings crumbled and cars exploded, bits of the debris following the demon into hell. Natas's face melted, his horrific form doing much the same and flowing into the gateway. His bones crushed, flesh tore and then, suddenly, it was over. Natas was pulled relentlessly into the portal and it snapped shut, almost like a light being turned off. Starfire came up out of the dumpster and Robin regained consciousness, followed by Raven and Cyborg.

As they regrouped, there was a cry of pain from Seth, the young adult laying on the ground in a pool of his own flesh and blood. This time, his wounds were not healing. The Titans ran to him, hovering over his body. Raven was there first, kneeling down over him with wide eyes. He hacked and coughed violently, blood seeping out of the massive wounds left by Natas Black. More and more blood came out. Raven held Seth carefully in her arms, holding back her emotions.

"Come on, let's get him to the infirmary," Robin said, barely able to look at Seth.

"N-No, I'm… not going to make it," Seth replied weakly, the color draining from his face.

"Come on, Seth," Raven said, "we can get you to the tower, we can fix you up. It's… not that bad," she looked away momentarily as Seth wretched up more gore.

"No, Raven… it's done, now," Seth said shakily.

"What do you mean?" she sniffled, Starfire hiding her face in Robin's arms.

"I wanted… Natas, and I, I got him… I can't heal anymore, anyway. I can't… take… damage from something immortal and live to tell about it," Seth explained.

Seth groaned one last time, closing his eyes, his body limp. Cyborg, Robin and Starfire turned away as it began to rain. Raven cried, the sheer magnitude of her emotion finishing the destructive job of the buildings Natas had begun. The calamity eventually settled to calm, Raven's outburst over. She stood, holding Seth's body, and lead the way back to the Tower. A funeral was to be held and a burial to be planned. When they got home, they agreed to lay Seth to rest the next morning. After showering and preserving his body for the night, the Titans slept.

Outside, something settled. The night continued on, wounded, but alive. A dark cloud had lifted off of the city. The smell of decay ceased, the explosions and gunfire had vanished and finally, Jump City stopped screaming.


End file.
